Definitions of Humanity
by skywolf666
Summary: They were born to the same parents, held the same blood, but even that didn't make her any more sure she was human when she looked at herself in the mirror and saw the changes that had taken place after losing her dear, invisible friend who had sacrificed everything to save her life. Was she human? Had she ever been? (BL, BxD, B!Sibling)
1. Pride of the Lions

**White Clouds**

**Sealed Forest (Outskirts)**

**Guardian Moon**

**Year 1180**

Raine let out a breath that she felt she had been holding for almost an entire moon, but she did not feel the weight lifting from her shoulders as she gently placed the Sword of the Creator back inside of its sheath. The blade had felt lighter in her hand once she had returned from the darkness, though she was not entirely sure why that was. Perhaps her merging with Sothis had made it easier to wield? She shivered reflexively. She didn't want to dwell on such thoughts. It had been terrifying, thinking that in such a place, in such nothingness, she had been resigned to her doom. Helpless and hopeless, wondering if her students would be safe without her, if her brother would manage all on his own... but Sothis had given her an exit, one last chance to recover from her otherwise fatal mistake, but that cost had been too dear for her to be happy to have paid it.

Reflexively her hand lifted to her chest, though she knew there was no reason for her to do so. Her heart did not beat. But that didn't change the fact that Sothis had been the one helping her, guiding her, ever since her birth. And now that childlike goddess was gone, having given up the only thing she could in order to save her. It wasn't a fair trade. She didn't deserve to be the only one to escape, while letting Sothis give up everything in exchange. And she felt strangely empty, being unable to hear her chiding voice, or feel her presence with that strange, unnatural bond they shared. It didn't matter why she had been with her. It didn't even matter that she wasn't _truly_ gone, if her words about her soul simply being a part of hers now was true... She hadn't wanted her mistakes to cost her a friend. And regardless of what they were, or weren't... Raine had considered Sothis to be her dear friend.

"Professor!"

Raine closed her eyes briefly, thankful to hear Dimitri's voice, yet still not entirely ready to face her students after what had happened. She hadn't had a moment to mourn between escaping the darkness, realizing her new powers, and then destroying Solon... but that would have to wait a bit longer. She could not indulge in her own sentiments while her students were waiting for her. They had to have been just as frightened and confused as she had been, perhaps even moreso, and putting their needs aside for her own simply was not something she could do. So she took in a breath, forcing everything aside and summoning a smile to her face as she turned in the direction of the Blue Lion's house leader as she answered his call gently, "Dimitri."

"Professor, I... " Dimitri hesitated, and he was unsure of what to say as he took in the woman who had pierced the heavens themselves in order to return to them, and to slay Solon single-handedly. The woman who had been dragged into the shadows did not look like the one who had returned, but all the same he was still beyond relieved to see her. Her hair had lightened, that dark and alluring shade of navy now resembling more the colour of seafoam green, and her eyes had likewise changed colour to match, but there was no doubt that she was the same professor besides her physical changes. And he would not allow them to put him off, either, as he soldiered on as best as he could despite how rattled he felt, "I'm... I'm relieved to see you unharmed... It's done. Solon is dead... Your father is avenged, though there can be little joy to take from it. But... Are you truly all right? Your hair, and your eyes..."

"My what?" Raine blinked, surprised by his words as she reached to grasp a lock of her hair and pull it into view to see what it was her student was talking about. She almost leapt clear out of her skin at the unfamiliar colour staring back at her, and though she knew she had to look a fool, she whirled around as she grabbed another lock from the opposite side of her head to take a look there, too. Her hair had changed, and the thought made her stomach drop somewhere to the bottom of her feet. She knew that her absorbing Sothis' power had changed her, she had felt it the moment the goddess had disappeared into those sparkling embers of energy, but she hadn't realized that such changes had also applied to her physical appearance. How was she supposed to know such a thing when she had been thrust right back into the heat of battle? She continued to spin thoughtlessly, trying to look herself over from every angle worriedly as she wondered what else possibly might have happened when she took in the power of the goddess into herself, "Oh gods! When did that... Nobody said a word about this happening...! A-And you said my eyes have changed, too? Do I at least look anything like I used to? Has anything else changed? I can't tell!"

Dimitri was quick to disguise his laugh as a cough as he watched Raine hastily twirl about three more times before giving up and raising a hand tiredly over her eyes in a sign of defeat. He had never seen her panicked in such a way before. Though, it wasn't as if she didn't have her reasons. It had to be just as shocking to her as it had been to all of them, seeing her reappear from the depths of the darkness, hair and eye-colour changed, and radiating with a new power that even the least magically-inclined of them could feel. Still, seeing that reaction, hearing her curse as she tried to take stock of herself... It only proved that she was indeed the exact same woman who had left them. No matter what had happened during their separation... She was still their professor. Still the woman who led and protected the Blue Lions with every ounce of her being. "Be calm, Professor... I am sorry for startling you. I hadn't thought you were not aware, but of course you would not have noticed. It is only your hair and your eyes that have changed. Everything else still is the same, I promise you. Once we return to Garreg Mach, you'll see for yourself."

"I... Yes, you're right. I'm sorry for that. That had to look... really idiotic." Raine felt a hint of heat creeping up into her neck as she realized what a fool she had to seem in his eyes for her panicking over her looks of all things, especially after all that had happened. There were much more important matters to attend to than such pathetic concerns as her appearance, and she quickly put that aside as well as she turned to look back at Dimitri. He was smiling, and doing a terrible job of hiding it, too. The look should have annoyed her, especially when she had panicked so unreasonably, but if he was in good cheer, that only meant that her students had come out of the battle without much harm. Still, she couldn't exactly leave it unspoken, and she took in a breath to steady herself before asking bluntly, "How is everyone? Unhurt? The fighting was fierce... Those people weren't easy to match, especially with that second ambush. And when their trap triggered... Nobody was harmed while I... before I came back?"

"No, Professor. No injuries that Mercedes or Flayn could not attend to themselves. You did scare us quite a bit, but... You are here now, so it does not matter. Everyone is well. More than that, to be frank. Seeing you again... We are ecstatic to know you escaped unharmed." Dimitri answered her briskly, and he was satisfied to see the worry melt away from her face to be replaced with that soft, gentle smile he had quickly grown to love to see. It made her entire face soften and warmed her eyes to a degree he had previously thought her incapable of, and even with the new, startling physical changes... That smile only proved that those changes were merely skin-deep. She was still herself. However, his curiosity was not so easily sated, especially considering the circumstances, and he began hesitantly now that her most pressing concerns were addressed, "But, Professor... What happened, while we were separated? Your physical appearance aside... When you fought, you seemed... stronger, somehow. As if you had suddenly become much more powerful. You sundered the sky itself... How did you accomplish such a feat?"

Raine bit the inside of her cheek as she wondered how she could even begin to answer such a loaded question. She would not keep silent and refuse to give him an answer, especially knowing that she had frightened the living wits out of her students with her mistakes, but... She had never breathed a word of Sothis to anyone but her brother, and her brother was not entirely a normal man. He had taken her words at face-value and never asked questions even if he did not fully comprehend her situation, and she had been glad that he only cared for it if it was causing her worry. Acting in any other way... would have only made her worry even more about if she was truly human or not. And after reading through her father's journal, such thoughts had been haunting her more and more frequently.

But she didn't wish to show that to Dimitri. Nor to any of her students. It was a weakness they didn't need to know she had. And it wasn't as if she could expect them to believe her. It bordered on the insane, no matter how true it really was. She tugged idly at her bangs, relieved that the texture at least felt familiar even if the colour did not as she began somewhat hesitantly, "It... It wasn't simply me. The goddess... Sothis... gave me her power. I think that's why my appearance changed as it has... and why I'm stronger now than I was."

"The goddess gifted you her power...?" Dimitri repeated her words curiously, his brow furrowing as he watched his professor shift her weight from one foot to another uncomfortably. He didn't sense a lie in her explanation, though he also didn't believe it was wholly the truth. There had to be more, but quite obviously it was paining her, even if he did not understand why. She was not a believer. She had made that quite clear to him before, but he could not understand why receiving a gift from the goddess would cause her unrest. Still, he nodded his head in acceptance, deciding it best he not push her farther than she wished to go, even if it did make him worry for her. Her privacy was something she guarded jealousy, and she was open enough to them as she was despite that. She cared for all of them, in ways they needed, whether or not they knew that, and he would never question her or doubt her ever again. "I see, then... I would say it hard to believe, but I know what I saw back in that battle. You sundered the very sky with your blade... Perhaps you are like Saint Seiros?"

"Saint Seiros?" Again, Raine found herself wondering just how little she truly knew in regards to the church, and it made her sigh with the knowledge that her ignorance was continuously hampering her in the monastery. With what she now knew from her father's diary, she didn't question his decision or choices, but she couldn't help but wonder if all the knowledge she had missed out on, or avoided because of sheer instinct due to her upbringing, would have helped her when Sothis had made herself known to her in the physical realm. She would return to the monastery and to the books, to glean every little bit of information she possibly could when she next had the chance, even if the texts themselves would have to be taken with a grain or two of salt. Sothis herself had already proven that legends existed, and the annals of history were written by human hands, with human biases. She could not take the church's word at face value, or anyone's else's word, really.

"Yes. She, too, received a gift from the goddess, according to legends. It granted her great strength in her time of need. Perhaps the goddess saw the goodness of Saint Seiros in you, and saw fit to bestow a similar gift to you, when you were also in need?" Dimitri explained with a smile, and it broadened when he saw his professor look away from him in clear embarrassment. Her cheeks had dusted themselves in pink, another unfamiliar but quite welcoming sight, and he had to again raise his hand to his mouth to cover his laughter. His worries had amounted to nothing, perhaps even less than nothing, and it made him relax all the more to see her behaving as she always did. Though, his own words did bring him up somewhat short, and he tilted his head and touched his chin thoughtfully as he mused, "And if you are Saint Seiros, then I suppose... Our class would be the Ten Elites of old? Though, our numbers don't match, due to the additions to our house. But that would be a triviality."

"Comparing ourselves to legends seems a bit outlandish... Though, considering what happened..." Raine let out a tired breath as she shook her head to try and ward away the misgivings that were strangling about her ribs and constricting her torso. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she knew better than to say so. It would only invite questions, and they were questions she wasn't prepared to answer. Not when she wasn't even sure of things herself. She rubbed idly at her temples, trying to find balance, but everything seemed far away and dim. She was exhausted, moreso than she had realized, and it made her sigh as she murmured, "I guess things could be worse... or stranger. I'm almost not surprised by what happens nowadays anymore."

"Nor am I." Dimitri agreed, though his words were no longer jovial as he noticed the way his professor was withdrawing. Her face had grown pale, and she looked both pained and drawn. He couldn't begin to imagine what it was she had gone through, and Solon's words of the darkness she had supposedly been banished to had not exactly brought them comforting thoughts. It had to have been a terrible ordeal, and yet she had leapt free only to continue fighting without once taking a pause to even breathe. She was strong, unbelievably so, but she was still made of flesh and bone, just as they all were. She could not continue on forever like a machine. "Are you sure that you're all right, Professor? Mercedes could have a look at you, if you're not feeling well. That spell may have had negative affects on you that we cannot see."

"No, there's no need. Especially if Mercedes was busy with the rest of you already. I'm just... very tired." Raine admitted with another low breath, and she massaged her temples as she felt the weight growing heavily on her shoulders. She was beyond exhaustion. Her body felt like it was carrying weights on every joint, and faintly she was aware of a dizziness making the world spin in the corners of her vision. She had felt this way before, shortly before Sothis' powers had grown after their "excursion" into Zanado, and she wondered idly if her body was trying to adjust to the influx of power it had received once more. It didn't seem like it enjoyed being the bearer of the power of the goddess, and the thought made her smile wryly as she remarked, "I just need a little... rest..."

"Professor!"

Raine felt herself be caught by strong, supporting arms, but even that sensation was rapidly fading away. She could hear Dimitri calling for her worriedly, but suddenly she felt extremely calm. She hadn't fallen, even when the darkness of sleep had abruptly begun to chew holes into her vision. She had expected a harsh strike to the ground, but the crown prince hadn't allowed her to slip whatsoever. She had only staggered a step before he had her in his arms, supporting her weight as if she was merely a feather. She sighed somewhere internally as she felt her body shutting down without her consent. More weakness she had not meant to show. But, she supposed it didn't matter. They had done what they had set out to do... and in Dimitri's hands, at least... She would find her way back to the monastery safely. Of that, she had no doubt.

Dimitri watched worriedly as her eyes slid shut as she slumped against him lifelessly, but the moment of fear passed by as abruptly as it had come as he felt her soft, even breath on his neck as he angled himself to better support her. She was sleeping? The thought almost made him smile as he slowly, carefully, lowered her back onto the ground. Her expression was peaceful despite the suddenness, and the clench in his stomach loosened as he knelt down next to her and let out a tired breath of his own. He reached to touch her forehead, checking to ensure her temperature at least had not risen, and he was satisfied when her warm skin told him no such thing had occurred. She was simply drained, not injured, and the thought comforted him greatly.

"Oh, Professor! Your Highness!"

Abruptly Dimitri withdrew his hand as he heard his classmates clamouring and coming closer, and he felt a strange, but all too familiar heat rising up in his neck as he forced himself awkwardly to his feet. He was becoming too familiar with her. But it had been innocent, hadn't it? She had fallen, and he had caught her. Surely they was nothing wrong with that? Nobody would dare to make inferences about such a gesture. At least, he hoped no one would. The last thing the professor needed when she woke was someone teasing her about her falling asleep standing up, and needing to be rescued by her own student. She would be horrified... but why did that make him want to smile?

"Whoa, whoa, is she all right, Your Highness?" Sylvain's voice broke through his thoughts as he arrived with the other Blue Lions on his heels, and he was both bemused, and somehow pleased to see that the redheaded knight's concern was completely genuine. He knelt down almost as once next to her, looking his professor over carefully with a deeply furrowed brow, and his voice was low and concerned as he muttered to himself, "I don't... see anything wrong... Hey, Mercedes? Is she okay? I know you're tired, but, it's the professor here."

"Let Flayn look at her. Mercedes has done enough work today." Felix replied brusquely, and he held out his arm to stop the blond healer from stepping forward to attend to their professor. The swordsman's eyes were cool as she looked at him with a frown, and he shook his head despite her obvious want to rush to the professor's side despite her own obviously lagging condition. He turned on her with a hand on his hip, head tilted as he explained bluntly despite her look of exasperation, "You're exhausted. What happens if you collapse on us, too? Then we have two people to carry out of this cursed place. Let Flayn or Annette take a look at her. They're not you, but they're capable enough to tell us if she's hurt."

"Forgive me, Mercedes, but I believe Felix is right. You have done so much work already today. You must conserve your strength so you can make the trip back to the monastery safely." Flayn's voice was gentle as she reached to lay a comforting hand on the taller girl's arm, and Mercedes sighed as she ceded to the emerald-haired healer without argument. She may not have liked being told she was of no help, but even she was wise enough to know when to work within her own limits. Still, it did rankle her, and she knew it showed on her face as Annette came quickly up to her side and hugged her arm comfortingly while Flayn hurried forward to where their professor was laying in the grass.

"I did not see her injured during the fighting... Is she perhaps in sleep?" Petra asked as she peeked over Flayn's shoulder to watch as the healer carefully opened her professor's cloak to make an examination of her body. There indeed were no injuries that they could see without disrobing her entirely, but such a thing wasn't necessary. Not for a healer with as much skill as Flayn had acquired. Her eyes narrowed as she ran a hand slowly, carefully, an inch above her professor's body, searching in complete silence, and when she drew away with a relieved smile, Petra nodded to herself in satisfaction at the sign that she had been right. "Then I was having the correctness. She is not hurt."

"The poor thing... She must be so tired." Annette murmured as she leaned into her friend with a worried frown, and Mercedes' gently wrapped her arm about her shoulders to deliver a comforting squeeze. The tangerine-haired mage offered her a weak smile before returning her attention completely back to their sleeping professor, and she noted that even those who didn't show much emotion as a rule were all looking equally relieved to hear that she was not actually wounded. They had all been fighting out of anger, shared anger, but anger nonetheless, but it didn't change the fact that such emotion had only come from grief. "She worked so hard this past moon for us... She didn't even try to take a break for herself... No wonder she collapsed. We need to take her back to the monastery, and make sure she rests this time! Even if it means tying her up!"

"Y-You want to tie up the professor?" Ashe asked weakly, and he didn't imagine that such a thing would go over well once she woke up. Though surprisingly gentle with her students when the situation called for it, she still was stern and unflinching when she fought alongside them, and they all were aware her temper was nothing to make light of. Even when it wasn't directed anywhere near them, they all had felt her simmering rage when she had clashed with Kronya, and to say it had frightened even the most staunch of them was not anywhere near an exaggeration. "I don't think that's a good idea, Annette... What would we do when she woke up? She'd be angry."

Annette puffed out her cheeks, annoyed that her friend had taken her so literally. Of course she didn't want to restrain their professor, especially against her will. The idea was ludicrous. Plus, she doubted any restraints would actually work, especially on a woman as stubborn as the former mercenary. She probably could break iron chains if she wished to, and Annette wasn't about to risk her hide, or her grades, by behaving so foolishly. She stuck out her tongue at the sheepish-looking archer as she explained pertly, "I didn't mean it _literally_, Ashe! But she still needs to rest! Look at her! She's ran herself ragged!"

"I think I agree with Annette here, surprisingly..." Ingrid spoke up, her voice slow and careful as she looked about at her comrades thoughtfully. She was met with more than a few raised eyebrows, and she was quick to shake a hand to dissuade them from thinking she was agreeing with the idea of restraints. She wasn't nearly foolish enough to indulge in that, no matter how interesting it might seem to test their professor's raw strength. But that was a scenario that didn't need thinking of as she clarified hastily, "About her resting, of course! I mean... This past moon, after Captain Jeralt... She didn't ignore her duties. Rather, she threw herself headlong into them, for our sakes. We can say perhaps she did it in order to not focus on her grief, but... I think we all know better. She isn't that selfish. What she did this past moon, all that she did, was for us as our professor. Now, she's in need of us. We must return her kindness. What sort of students would we be if we let her continue to work herself to the bone without recognizing what she's done for us?"

"I agree... It is time for us to show her the same care that she has always shown us." Dedue nodded solemnly, and his eyes flickered across their professor and to his liege, who was watching them all with a soft, almost relieved sort of smile. He had wondered, what the crown prince thought of her actions, and the actions of his fellow classmates as they watched and worried from the sidelines... Now he could see that he had been just as concerned, and was now glad to see that the rest of the house was openly voicing their worries and care for her now. It was a good sign, a heartening sign, and there had been far too few of them in the past few moons. He folded his arms however as he broached the question no one else seemed to have thought of yet, "However... How shall we begin taking the professor back to the monastery?"

"I can carry her." Raphael was the first to speak up, and his usually so warm and smiling face was for once serious and almost stern as he towered over the healers as he approached them without hesitation. He rolled up his sleeves, looking down thoughtfully at the rather petite bundle his professor would make if he plucked her up from the ground. She didn't look heavy, and he didn't doubt that he could easily sling her up and make the trip back to the monastery without much effort. He was well aware however that he was the newest addition to the Blue Lions house, and he was respectful of this as he explained, "She did just let me join you guys when I asked to be brought on. Let me do it, to pay her back for making me a Blue Lion."

"I... I do not think that's a good idea, Raphael." Flayn began somewhat sheepishly, and a quickly traded look with Mercedes and Annette proved that her instinct was right as both girls looked awkwardly at the bulky young villager and then back down at their teacher uncertainly. She hastened however at the look of hurt that passed across his face so not to let him think she was doubting him as a fellow student or a Blue Lion, as she, too, was "new" in comparison to the rest of the students gathered there, "I mean, I certainly do not doubt your strength, but the professor _is_ a delicate woman. She must be handled gently. It is true that I did not detect any wounds when I searched her, but she still could be hurting somewhere that I could not tell... We do not wish to aggravate things we cannot see."

"Oh. Oh, yeah, that's a good point." Raphael nodded immediately at the explanation he understood, and the relief that flickered on his face brought a smile to Flayn's own. She understood his hesitancy, and his desire to be a part of the team, regardless of how late his induction had been. He wished to prove himself, just as she had wanted to do, and his first idea had come from a heartfelt place, if an impetuous one. But he took it completely in stride and without insult, ceding to those he knew were wiser than him without a moment's hesitation. It was a part of his charm. "So, uh... Maybe horseback? Or Petra, could you fly her back to the monastery on your wyvern?"

"There's no need to quarrel. I will carry her home." Dimitri interrupted the talk that he was well aware would go about in circles if he allowed it to. Everyone wanted to speak up and do their part, and some had better reasoning than others, but he dismissed it all the same. Everyone and their mounts were tired from both travel and battle, and none needed to have an extra burden to carry back to the monastery. He, however, still felt fresh, and for once, he was glad for his Crest and the power it gave him. She would not even compare to a regular set of training armour, and he knew for certain that carrying her back to the monastery would be of no trouble. "I will be slow, so it would be best that all of you go ahead to give your report of what happened here to the Archbishop in the professor, and my, stead. She will be worried, and it is best not to keep her or any of the knights who may have returned waiting."

Ingrid was quick, slapping Sylvain upside the head before he could open his mouth to make a remark, and her old friend winced away from her, rubbing his ear as he mumbled something under his breath about being punished too early. She shot him a deadly glare to keep him silent, before returning her eyes to her liege as he carefully knelt down and scooped the professor's still form into his arms with as little effort as plucking a flower. No one doubted that he had the strength and stamina to carry her home without incident, but his blunt and abrupt decision had been one no one had really expected. She spoke for all of them, minding her tone as she did so so not to appear disrespectful, "My lord... Are you certain this what you wish to do?"

"Yes, Ingrid, I am certain. And I _am _aware that I am depriving all of you from helping as well, but... Please, I will ask that you allow me this one selfishness." Dimitri answered calmly, and he adjusted her weight carefully in his arms to support her head with his shoulder as he cradled her with little effort, but the maximum amount of gentleness and care he could manage. She was not a lance or a sewing needle, easily replaced when broken, and he minded himself with extreme caution even as he met each gaze of his classmates and explained with a weak, wry smile, "I wish... to prove myself. Not only to her, but to myself, now. I could not help her when she needed me, needed us, the most. I wish to fix my mistake. I am aware that I depriving you all of doing the same, and I apologize. But... if I may, please allow me to begin what we all wish to do."

Ashe's smile gentled as he noticed that flicker of warmth in the crown prince's eyes, as well as the regret. He had seen it before, that moment in the chapel when he had realized that Dimitri had overheard everything that had been shared between him and the professor shortly after the death of Lord Lonato. That deep, sincere regret that turned to determination, the desire to right his wrongs and misconceptions, and he was not about to be the one to try and stop him if this was how he wished to go about making his own first steps of reconciliation. Perhaps it was because it was all he knew he could do, or perhaps it was because he did not feel just a sense of obligation towards her, but neither reason mattered. Ashe nodded and spoke first, his voice calm and firm as he replied, "That's good enough for me, Your Highness. I'll leave the professor in your hands. Dedue, why don't you and I fix her a meal when we return to the monastery? Something filling and healthy. She'll be hungry when she wakes up, don't you think?"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. May I watch?"

"No, no, Mercie, we ought to bake some cookies to go with it! We all ought to do something we can do to make it special for her when we get back!"

Dimitri smiled to himself as he heard the rapid-fire trading of ideas for what to do for their professor, and he used the opportunity to quietly slip away from the group with little preamble. He didn't want any more scrutiny, nor did he wish to wait any longer in case debate flared up again. He was glad neither Sylvain nor Dedue spoke up, as he knew they had seen him take his leave, but apparently they had also decided it was best to go along with his choice rather than debate it. He would need to thank them both later for it, but he put all thoughts to the back of his mind as he began the trek back from the Sealed Forest's edge and back to the monastery. He knew the route well enough, thanks to the many training excursions that had took them close to the forest, but never within. Normally it would be a twenty minute march back to the monastery by the road, but he had no intention of taking that long when he had her cradled so carefully in his arms.

Flayn's words had worried him. He was not a healer. Rather, he had very little skill in magic whatsoever. A cursory look for wounds and immediate first-aid with a tourniquet or bandages was the best of his ability as a "healer", and it left him sorely lacking in an area he was well aware could use more expertise. And now, feeling the soft, even breath of his professor on his neck, he was sharply aware of how little he knew and what a danger that was. If she had been injured, if she _was_ injured, what good would he have been or would be? It made him shudder despite himself. No, he wouldn't permit it. When he returned to the monastery, he would ask for a handful of lessons in basic medicine from Professor Manuela. She would be able to at least teach him enough to be of use in an emergency. There was no worse feeling in the world than being helpless when another needed him.

That thought made his jaw ache as it tightened against his better judgement, and it took him a moment to force his arms to relax so he did not accidentally squeeze his precious burden as well. Flayn had been right. His professor _was_ delicate, despite all the damage she had been capable of making, and taking in return. She was a mercenary before she was a professor, and it showed every single time she had to bare her sword and lead them to battle. She could navigate battle better than anyone he knew, as both tactician and soldier, and that confidence inspired every single one of them each and every time they had to fight.

"Loyalty, too..." Dimitri muttered half to himself and half to sleeping woman he was carrying, and he started slightly when he realized he had begun voicing his thoughts aloud. A quick glimpse down told him she was still fast asleep, and he breathed a sigh of relief without entirely knowing why. Why would it matter if she heard him complimenting her? It wouldn't be the first time. He had praised her and her skills countless times before, and they had always been well-deserved compliments. Even if she waved it away, when she ducked her head to hide her satisfied smile, it always made him glad to know she was taking the words to heart even if she never really accepted it aloud.

The idea emboldened him. She was sleeping, and for the first time since their little meeting in the Goddess Tower, they were entirely alone. It hadn't been his best moment then, trying for japes only to be met with a scolding rebuke, but he wondered now how much of what he had jested of was becoming true. He had his mission. His sole directive that had been driving him for four long, painful years... but this year, this one solitary pack of moons, had been something close to the best year of his life. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so at ease with himself, and with the people around him. When he had last smiled so much, and with such honesty. She brought that out in him. He knew that she did.

"And it makes everything else seem... small, in comparison. You are not good for me, Professor. You make me forget things that cannot be forgotten. That _should not_ be forgotten." A low, tired breath left him as his steps came mechanically now, without thought towards the monastery, but Dimitri had long ago taken his eyes away from his destination. He could not help it. The warm, soft weight in his arms was beguiling. Her hair tickled his chin, and her scent filled his head and made him both flush hotly, and feel strangely at ease. Had he ever noticed before that she smelled exactly as her namesake? Like a fresh summer rain, coating fields of flowers and reminding the world that it was needed in order to make beauty bloom in what looked to be the worst, or ugliest of times. "Had I met you sooner... Would things have been different, I wonder...? Would I be the man you believe I am? Would I have come to the Officer's Academy at all...?"

The questions were teetering close to an unknown. To a boundary he had drawn about himself in tight, strict confines. He had been forced to remember it in the Goddess Tower, when he had been reflecting on "the promise" they had all made to return here in five years time. It had been foolish of him. He was not at liberty to make promises he could not keep. His life didn't belong to him. Not anymore. He had come to terms with that long ago. He could not change his mind now, no matter how much he may wish for it. He was alive. It was his duty. And nothing could ever take precedence over that duty. His nightmares... Those whispers... They'd never permit it.

"I wish we had met under different circumstances, Professor..."

He continued to walk. He was taking a different, shorter path to the monastery, but it was still likely that his comrades would arrive beforehand. Especially when he factored in that Petra had very likely flown on ahead with the details of what had taken place in the Sealed Forest the moment he had left them. She was a strange young woman, still having difficulty with the language of Fódlan, but there was no denying she had become a Blue Lion in everything but name since her addition to the class. She fit in so seamlessly with them, fighting with the same spirit, learning as much from them as she taught, and showing that same ferocious protectiveness and loyalty to the professor who had taken her under her wing. Her loyalty was to Brigid, not the Empire... but she had admitted, more than once with a sheepish smile, that at least here in Garreg Mach, that she did consider herself a Blue Lion before she was a princess.

The walls were creeping into sight over the hills, startling him as he wondered how long he had been walking. It had felt like only a handful of minutes. Had his thoughts really strayed so far and for so long? He glanced down worriedly at his teacher, but she had yet to prove she was waking. If anything, she seemed even more deeply asleep, nestled against his chest and in his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. Again he felt his neck and face growing warm, and he had to swallow it down as he looked towards the monastery walls again. He truly was selfish. They were close to home, and yet he was disappointed that it was already over. ' I am truly a fool...'

"Dimitri."

The call on his immediate left caught him off guard, but still he remembered his precious burden as he turned halfway to catch a glimpse of whoever it was that called for him. He stopped short, eyes widening in both surprise and understanding as his confusion vanished away like a leaf blown by a strong breeze at the sight of the "intruder". Of course. He always seemed to know, always seemed to be there, and seeing him now, as if he had been waiting for their arrival on the outskirts of the monastery, Dimitri admitted he really could not be surprised by his appearance. It just seemed to be the mercenary's way. He greeted him politely, now becoming acutely aware of what he had to look like, and hoping beyond hope his voice had not carried, and the older man had not been there for long enough to catch it when he spoke, "Sir Warin."

"No sirs, Dimitri. I'm not a knight." Warin's answer was brisk and curt, and his eyes flickered over the first prince and his sister with a precision that was as sharp as a newly-honed arrowhead. Somehow he didn't look surprised, but Dimitri himself had come to expect that of him. After his arrival with the incident with Jeralt, nothing that Warin did came as a surprise to him anymore. He had an uncanny sixth sense, especially when it came to his sister, and he likely had felt that something had happened in the Sealed Forest while he had been away. It was just his luck, that Rhea had finally given in and approved him for a scouting mission with Shamir, and he had arrived back home too late to be of any use. His navy eyes flickered back up from his sister's sleeping face and back up to Dimitri's before he asked him bluntly, "Are you intending to take her to the infirmary?"

"That was the plan, yes."

"Don't. Take her back to her quarters. She isn't injured." Warin told him brusquely, and he took little pleasure in the surprise that crossed the young prince's face as he looked down to the woman in his arms uncertainly. He understood the concern. For all intents and purposes, she was clearly unconscious, and needed a healer... but Warin knew better. That ill feeling that had warned him that something had gone terribly wrong was gone now, and he felt calm and at ease. If his sister had been injured, he wouldn't have waited here, knowing that Dimitri would be bringing her along by the quickest route even if it separated him from his classmates. He would have gone on ahead, ignoring any and all orders to stay put, to find her and bring her back himself. "Trust me on this. She's fine. Just exhausted."

"You always seem to know these things... and more importantly, the professor trusts you, so I shall do the same." Dimitri conceded to him with a nod, and he was aware that his concern was slowly fading away to be replaced with a tangible sense of relief and warmth. His professor had always spoken highly of her brother and his ability to predict or sense the worst, and he had seen him in action several times before when the knights had fought alongside them. Warin was a warrior born, and one with far more experience than he had. Moreover, he was the only one with any authority when it came to making decisions on his sister's behalf, and out of respect for that, Dimitri had no intention of ignoring him. "Then, do you wish to...?"

"No, that won't be necessary. You can continue carrying her. But don't go this way back into Garreg Mach. Follow me." Warin dismissed the offer with a wave of his hand, and he turned his back before Dimitri could either protest, or worse, look relieved that he was not being dismissed of his duty. It wasn't as if he didn't trust the young prince, that went without saying now, but he was still quickly finding himself running out of allies in the monastery walls. The death of his father had brought him to a dangerous edge, making him wary of everyone about him, but he knew he could not extend that mistrust to his sister's students. She would take him sorely to task if he ever expressed such a thought, and he knew he would rightfully deserve it. They were noble brats, at least most of them were, but they were all well-intentioned, and obviously enamoured by her. Not one of the Blue Lions would ever do anything to bring her harm. Not by choice.

"Where exactly are you taking me? I don't know this path."

"It's a shortcut back to the dormitories. Well, it's a shortcut in that it avoids the marketplace and the hall, which is where everyone will be waiting for you and Raine." Warin explained over his shoulder as he picked his way along the western most wall with Dimitri following closely and obediently behind him. He could almost hear the young man's curiosity despite his willingness to follow, and that alone made him decide it was worth speaking further as he continued on, "I was born here. Both Raine and I were. We left when I was six, and immediately after she was born, so she has no memories of this place... but I do. It hasn't changed in the twenty years we've been away. I still remember how to get about without being noticed. It was useful for a bored six year old boy. Still useful now, though I probably shouldn't say so."

Dimitri blinked in surprise, and he looked down to the woman in his arms as he realized abruptly that he actually didn't know very much about her at all. Not her, or her brother. She had never spoken of her birthplace, and no one had ever asked. If anything, she seemed to be particularly jealous of her privacy, and everyone had learned one way or another to respect it even if such privacy came with a fair share of ignorance on her part. She had been raised away from the world, isolated from the church's influence, that much had been clear, but everything else beyond her being a mercenary, being ferociously loyal to her father and brother... was simply unknown. He felt his chest catch with a sudden bout of guilt as he muttered mostly to himself, "I... I wasn't aware..."

"Nor was she, until we came back here at the beginning of the year. Father kept it a secret. Raine chose to do the same out of respect for his choices. She wasn't keeping secrets from you so much as she was honouring father's wishes, you understand. I imagine if Father had given her permission, she would have told you all everything." Warin replied with a surprising amount of kindness, and he paused as they reached a corner in the monastery's outer wall. It bent inwards slightly, hugging the long line of student dormitories before again bulging outwards where the training grounds were situated. Warin indeed knew the area very well, and Dimitri admitted he was both impressed and somewhat abashed by his own lack of knowledge. Warin knocked twice on the heavy stone, then pushed with one hand on a section of the wall that looked identical to the rest they had been walking alongside for the past handful of minutes.

Dimitri inhaled sharply as it simply gave way under Warin's hand, opening up like a door and giving them access into Garreg Mach as easily if they had marched in from the front. He followed as Warin ducked into the secret passageway, and the wall closed behind them with a silent hiss to leave them on the other side with an ease that left him far more discomforted than surprised. He had never known the monastery had such a weakness in its outer walls, though he had also not known that there was a sprawling underground from the knights' barracks, either. The place was a mystery, both in engineering and in everything else, and he shook his head despite himself as he asked weakly, "This place... You discovered it in your youth?"

"There's a secret entrance in every cardinal direction, save the main entry and market, I'd wager. But this one I used the most back when I was younger. I wasn't allowed to mingle with the students when I was boy... This was my way around it. The one on the eastern side is actually behind the knights' barracks." Warin explained with a small smile as he noted Dimitri's surprise and concern, and he had to wonder what the noble was thinking about such perceived weaknesses in the monastery's defences. He himself had thought similarly, but age and experience had taught him that what was merely a "secret passage" for a little boy was far more than that when he looked at it through the eyes of a seasoned soldier. He explained further as he motioned for Dimitri to continue to follow him around the corner and towards Raine's personal quarters, "I imagine they were built in the case of a direct siege on the monastery. The one here allows for an easy escape route for the students, while the one in the east provides an escape for the knights not on active duty. There is likely one in the chapel in the north, as well, but I never got around to finding it. It's difficult exploring every nook and cranny of a place swarming with nuns and priests. They all had permission to tan my hide if I was poking around where I shouldn't be."

The thought made Dimitri smile despite himself at Warin's broad back, and he wasn't entirely sure how to reply as he followed him obediently towards the stairs and to the professor's quarters. It was difficult, imagining the stern and unflinching man before him as a little boy, running about the monastery and trying to uncover every secret he possibly could, and yet it didn't seem that far-fetched. Hadn't he done the same in his own castle back in Faerghus? Wasn't in really in every boy's nature to be a nuisance to their elders in their youth? Still, his willingness to share this secret made him pause as he began to climb the stairs as carefully as he could so not to wake his professor, "I am glad you showed me this, but... May I ask why you did not wish to come by the front entrance?"

"Raine needs rest, not to be disturbed because of whatever it was that happened in the Sealed Forest. And I am very aware something happened. I can see the changes just as clearly as you." Warin answered curtly, though not coldly as he watched Dimitri carefully sidle his way into his sister's quarters before laying her down on her bed. Every movement was slow and calculated, so not to jostle her unexpectedly, and it made him sigh inwardly at what he was seeing. It was good to know that she was so well taken care of, but... that didn't mean he had to be completely supportive of it. "I'd prefer she had a chance to be left alone for a spell before being taken to the Archbishop for questioning. It can't be easy to process. She needs time, and that isn't given much, seeing as things don't run on her schedule."

Dimitri carefully pulled the blankets over his professor's sleeping form, ensuring she was tucked in as well as he could manage before he hastily beat a retreat from her quarters. He had never been inside before, and he didn't want to linger no matter how curious he was about her private space. There had been stacks of books piled in the corner, as well as a small collection of whetstones for her weapon maintenance, but otherwise she didn't seem to keep many personal belongings. It made him sad, for reasons he wasn't entirely sure of, but he knew it was not his place to make judgements on her style of living. He closed the door behind him, and watched as Warin locked it from the outside with a key he must have stolen from the inside of her room before he had set out to meet them. He wondered at her elder brother's vigilance, both impressed and somewhat intimidated by his willingness to defy the archbishop's authority so openly, and he began without thinking as Warin pocketed his sister's key and stepped away from the door, "The professor said the goddess gifted her this power. After what happened... I am inclined to believe her. She sundered the sky with her blade, escaping a spell that had taken her away from this world. When she returned to us... Her appearance had changed, and she was filled with power."

"That makes sense... The sudden disappearance, then her return... I couldn't feel her for a handful of minutes. I almost went mad with worry. Then she was back, as abruptly as she had gone... I don't know what it is she gets into, but she never gives me a moment's peace these days. I guess that's more my fault than anything else, though. I should have been here." Warin nodded thoughtfully, and he glanced about before hopping up easily to take a seat on the nearby piled crates just outside of his sister's room. He did not intend to leave, as he was well aware that soon others would come knocking, and he would guard his sister's rest for as long as it took, and against anyone foolish enough to come for a little while. Dimitri made no moves to leave just yet, and he took advantage of his presence to question him bluntly, his eyes burning with quiet, simmering wrath, "Tell me. Is Monica dead?"

"By the professor's hand. Solon, as well, met his end at her sword." Dimitri answered immediately, and he watched as Warin closed his eyes for a long moment, and then let out a breath after another. His tense shoulders lowered by an inch or two, and the wrathful expression on his face softened only a tad when his eyes opened again. Instead of anger there seemed to be exhaustion now taking its place, and it was something Dimitri understood well. He had seen the same expression on Raine's face, and he wondered if his own would look the same when his turn came. He did not know, but now was not the time to dwell as he explained further for the mercenary, "It was Solon who tried to trap her, by using Kronya, as she was really called, as bait. It almost worked, too. But somehow, by some miracle... Your sister cut through the spell, returned to us, and ended Solon herself. She found vengeance for both Remire, and for Captain Jeralt. You can rest assured of that."

"I'm glad. It won't bring him back, nor will it restore Remire, but... It's a step forward. Those vermin needed destroying, but they aren't the only ones out there. There remains the Death Knight, and the Flame Emperor... Once those two are hooked on the end of a blade, I'll be able to rest more peacefully." Warin let out another long exhale, and he shook his head as he leaned back on his hands and looked upwards idly. He was, truly, glad to hear that his sister had found vengeance for the both of them, but he wasn't entirely put at ease by it. What had he been doing, while his sister had been fighting? Poking his nose about somewhere else, not realizing he was again being kept away by design, and to say he was quickly growing tired of it was an understatement. His father was dead, and now his sister had undergone a wild change. It was not a good omen.

Still. That thought brought him back to the young man in front of him, and Dimitri was watching him just as closely as he was being watched. It made him smile grimly. That look in his sea-blue eyes, filled with wrath and ruin, was one he knew well. He and his sister had not been the only one consumed with thoughts of revenge this moon. It was not a good look for the prince, and it likely worried his sister, but Warin had to admit he felt differently when he saw it. It was a driving force, and a powerful one, if it was turned in the correct direction. And now, with his father dead... He began without preamble, voice calm but still pointed, "I want to ask you something. Or, rather, there's something I suppose I want to ask _of_ you. With Father dead, it's now just Raine and I... and I am quite aware of my own mortality. Something could very well happen to me one of these moons. If something should... Can I trust you to take care of my sister, in my absence?"

Dimitri froze where he stood, and a feeling of both foreboding, and uncertainty made his blood run cold as Warin's placid navy gaze pinned him down like a lance through his spine. The older mercenary never minced words, nor did he seem willing to bend or lean on anyone. To hear him asking such a favour, of him of all people, made Dimitri unable to answer immediately. His instincts demanded he accept, without thought or care, but his better sense would not permit him. Not without knowing why Warin was choosing to delegate this task, his sister, to him should anything happen to him. "I... Forgive me, Warin, but... Why would you entrust your sister... with me? She is my professor. I am her student. It is true, I will graduate soon, and then ascend the throne in Faerghus, but... You are not choosing me simply because I am a noble. No, you would not choose me _because_ I am a noble... I must ask why you would ask such a weight of me, before I could even begin to think of accepting."

"My father trusted you. He told me as much, before he passed. He saw you and her fighting together, back during the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. He said that you two were quite a pair to be reckoned with... and he trusted you with her back on the battlefield. That's more than enough of a reason for me to do the same." Warin shrugged lightly, playing off the weight he knew his words were creating, and the way that they felt on his own shoulders. It was not something he did lightly, and it was not something he wished to do at all... but the knowledge of all that had happened in the past several moons had left him feeling helpless. His only response to that was cold pragmatism, and he ceded to it, even if it made him feel absolutely filthy to do so. He held the crown prince's stare, one hand idly tapping on his knee as he explained bluntly, "If something were to happen to me, Raine would be alone in this world. All she's ever known is her family. Her family, and the Blue Lions. I'd have her leave this place if I died, leave it far behind and find a home with her students in the Kingdom. With you. Be it as a mercenary, a knight, or continuing on as a professor for your future knights. I don't quite care what it is she does... so long as she's safe. You're the only person here I can trust to take care of her should anything happen to me. So I will ask you again. Will you protect my sister, if I were no longer able to do so?"

Dimitri lowered his eyes to the ground as he felt the weight of Warin's request crushing even his strong shoulders until he felt like he could simply collapse down to his knees. He had never felt such pressure before, and unbidden, his eyes turned back to the room where he had just laid the professor in her bed. He knew Warin was right, in a way. Without her family, she would be lost. She would have no one to rely on any longer. Could he in good faith leave her, if such a horrible thing were to happen? Putting aside all of his own wants and desires, knowing full well what could happen if he chose to abandon her... His hands clenched into fists at his side. No. That was impossible. Abandon her? It was unquestionable. Even if he was to die in his own crusade, the other Blue Lions could take over where he left. At least, in this, Warin was right. With the Blue Lions, under the Kingdom's protection... She would always be safe.

Dimitri swallowed hard, fighting the sudden burst of nausea, as well as the sudden desire to flee where he stood if only to clear his head and not be taken in by the dark thoughts of his professor alone and well and truly without everything. It was not a weight he wanted to bear. The only thing that made him even willing to consider it was the fact that Warin did not look any more pleased about this discussion than he felt. It was only insurance, a last-ditch attempt to ensure that at the end of it all, even if the worst occurred, that he would not be leaving his sister behind with nothing. At the very least, he could respect that about the mercenary, even if put him in a position he had no wish to be in. But he nodded his head all the same even if he averted his eyes, and his voice was quiet, shaken as he replied, "I... I do not believe I am the best person to ask this of... But, I will do my best, Warin. I cannot promise that... that I will be able to live up to your standards, but... In the case of the worst coming to pass... I will not abandon my professor. That much... I can give you."

"That's all I ask for." Warin accepted it despite it not being entirely what he wanted to hear, but he knew well enough that this subject had deeply disturbed the crown prince. It was enough, especially considering what he was asking. He rolled his head idly, cracking the bones in his neck before he leaned back comfortably on his hands. That was all he wanted, knowing that his sister would have one last safe haven to harbour her should he no longer be there, and now that he had the reassurance, he could relax. He nodded towards the nobles' dormitories, voice quiet, but kinder as he continued, "You can go. Tell your friends that Raine's resting, she's under my care now, and then go get some rest, yourself. You've done well today... and I'm grateful for all that you and your house has done for my family."

"Y-Yes... Thank you."

Warin watched him bow awkwardly, as if he had no real idea how to address him, before he was quickly turning on his heel and making himself scarce like a mouse that a tomcat had grown bored of hunting. He felt a pang of sympathy for what he had forced so callously onto the boy's head, but it did not last too long. It was necessary, even if it was too much. And he watched as Dimitri disappeared for the main hall, very likely heading to regroup with his classmates to tell them the news, and he leaned farther back on his hands with a low sigh. Whatever else could be said about the boy... He was loyal. Lovesick, troubled, extremely torn... but still incredibly loyal. "I suppose it could be worse... Much worse. I don't think I'd be half as accepting if you'd been teaching the Golden Deer and felt this way for _their_ house leader..."

It was mostly silent, save for the occasional sound of chatter from passerby students and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees, and Warin took a deep, cleansing breath as he forced himself to relax. There was no point in remaining tense for the entirety of his watch. He had no doubt Raine would give him an earful once she woke up and realized he had standing at her door like some glorified hound on watchdog duty. She hated it when he strained himself, and she had grown just as protective as he was of her in the past two moons. It had been truth when he had said he was all she had left. She recognized it as much as he did, and she was working hard, harder than she needed to, to make sure he remembered that she was there for him just as much as he was for her.

They seemed small. At least, to any outsider, her gestures truly would not seem like much. The occasional check-in at the barracks, seeing him off of every mission, and bringing by a meal she knew he enjoyed every so often. They were acts she had not done before Jeralt's passing, because she simply had not needed to do them. He knew she loved him. She didn't need to say it, or show him with her actions, that she did. They had grown up together. They had fought countless times together. It was simple between them. But Jeralt's death had shaken her, leaving her wondering if what was left unsaid was truly the way she wanted to live. If their father could be taken away so easily... And so she changed. Telling him her feelings. Calling him by his title. Checking in more often. He didn't mind it, even if it was taking some getting used to. So long as it satisfied her, so long as it brought her peace... He'd allow her to do whatever she wanted.

Grass crunching underfoot brought his attention back to the present, and he fought down a grim smile at the sound. He knew that footfall, even if the rhythm had changed somewhat. It usually was so stately, refined and calm, but now it was brisk, as if in excitement that was rather uncharacteristic. But he didn't mind. It didn't change what he intended to do. And he turned on the crate he had been sitting on, legs crossing as he looked down the stairs where the exact person he had been waiting for had made her appearance. Her eyes slid past him momentarily, to the locked door he was guarding, before back to him. And the look on her face flickered, from excitement and pleasure and back to a long-perfected mask of calm and composure. But that didn't matter to him as he nodded once, sparing her the only courtesy he planned to give her as he blocked her way to his sister and greeted her coldly, "Rhea. What a coincidence, seeing you here."

**AN:**

**Dun dun daaaaaaaah! -hit with a frying pan-**

**Ahem. Sorry. Anyway! This is the start of the three-parter that I promised that was to focus exclusively on the siblings and riding out the aftermath of the events of the Sealed Forest debacle, as well as the reading of Jeralt's diary. Mind you, I am aware Warin kind of stole the show at the end here, and he is going to steal a fair bit of the middle, but I promise it's pretty important that he does. The story is going to have three stages. The second of which will be a "confrontation" of sorts between Rhea and Warin, with the third being a conversation between Raine and Warin about all they have learned, and their plans for the future.**

**Mind, none of the third part is going to have much of an impact on the main story at large (mostly because I intend to stick to canon throughout the beginning and main parts of the War Phase) but it will include a lot of character exploration, as well as long-awaited talks and discussion about the past "School Phase" and what the siblings believe is to be coming, what had been done, and what they are hoping for from the future.**

**I have never written Rhea before, though I have had extensive conversations about her, and plenty of dissection of her character. Now, whether or not this will hit the target, I really can't promise anything. However, I do want to set out two reminders for the next chapter. The first being that we as readers already know the truth, and the nuance behind most of her actions, as well as her current reasoning for behaving as she does and keeping her secrets. The problem however is that Warin is _not_ aware of this nuance at this point in time, and is only acting on the information he knows, which is skewed from his own perspective, as well as the perspective of his father. The journal, while informative for Raine, did not hold any details that Jeralt didn't already share with Warin as his son.**

**The second is that while Rhea's motives (at the time) had some logic them to us players with forethought and the knowledge we've obtained throughout the game... Again, Warin and Raine both are not aware of any of this. Her secret keeping, her actions, and her decisions (justified or not) to keep them both in the dark are not things the siblings take to lightly, and their mistrust of her is not wrong. Will it change as more information is given to them throughout the course of the story? Yes, of course it will. But at current, they are acting with what they know, and what they do not know. We as readers already have the full story. They as characters do not. So please don't judge them, (or me!) for trying my best to write them without that bias as someone who's already played the game and are fully informed of the nuance!**

**As always, thank you for reading this far, and if you should feel the need, please drop me a review! I'm always grateful for your feedback, and thrive on it! I hope to see you again soon with my next instalment!**

**Mood: Satisfied.**

**Listening To: "Hitori Omou" - Renka (Fire Emblem: Fates)**

**~ Sky**


	2. The Last Protector

**White Clouds**

**Dormitories (Professor's Quarters)**

**Guardian Moon**

**Year 1180**

"Rhea. What a coincidence, seeing you here."

In retrospect, Rhea knew she should not have been surprised to find him there, but all the same, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of him and was reminded that strong defences lay about her goal, and it would never be easy to duck or dodge her way around that no matter what it was she did. Jeralt's son had too much luck, too keen of an eye, and worse, more suspicion rolled up in him that even Seteth himself could claim. In any other situation, in any other place, the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros would have been thrilled to have a man like Warin underneath her command and in the order of knights, but now all she felt was a mix of apprehension, annoyance, and a growing sense of exasperation. He was becoming a thorn in her side, rankling in deeper and deeper with every passing moon, and she both wondered at him, and wished him desperately gone.

How long had it been, since someone had met her gaze without fear, apprehension, or even the faintest bit of uncertainty? She was used to challengers, used to threats and those who wished to take power from her hands, but Warin was of a completely different breed. He cared not for her title, for her work, or her faith. No, those eyes of his cut into her with anger and blame, daring for her to take a step outside of the role she carried herself in and back into what in old days had perhaps been some of the most joyful times in her life. He was waiting, like a serpent in the grass, for her to show weakness, or familiarity. Waiting, like all patient predators, for a time to strike. And she had been careful, oh so careful, to keep him away and to avoid triggering that obvious trap by using Jeralt as an in-between, and relying on her former knight-captain to keep his son in check.

And it had worked, for awhile. Now Jeralt was gone, and so was his son's leash. He knew it just as well as she did, as he stood carelessly, boldly, between her and her goal. He knew her, and he had acted first to intercede before she could even have a chance to move. She wanted to curse. His uncanny knack of knowing the worst before or when it happened was incredibly beneficial; it had saved several of her knights on his every excursion that they swear they would have lost without his forewarning, but when he played it against her... She could not help but admit she was beginning to feel his dislike was becoming mutual.

Yet, as his eyes stared cold daggers into her, she did admit the word "dislike" was far too gentle. No, the man standing ahead of her did not "dislike" her. He loathed her. With every fibre of his being he loathed her, and even more impressive, he was not afraid to show it outright, even on the very monastery grounds. Seeing him again, after nearly twenty years, she had to admit she hadn't expected those once joyful and mischievous navy eyes to turn cold and hard with hate at the sight of her. Yet there he had stood at his father's shoulder when she had come to greet them warmly, a spitting image of his mother, but looking at her with such contempt and hatred that for a moment, she had been forced to check herself in surprise, before quickly composing herself again to hide it.

It had been too long, far, far, too long, since a gaze like that had sent a shiver of fright up her skin. Yet this man had done so, with nothing but a look, and she had reminded herself he was not wrong to feel the way he did. So she had taken it with grace, letting the matter lie where in should between them, as she directed him through his father and kept her distance as she knew he wished. Talking to him directly was out of the question, no matter how she yearned for it. And she did yearn for it, remembering sweeter days when he was just a boy, laughing as he sat in his mother's lap and holding the world in his eyes for her.

A bearer of the Crest of Seiros, untouched by ancient bloodlines and feuds and pacts and war, and instead just a little boy that knew nothing but peace and innocence within the walls of the monastery and underneath his parents' watchful eyes. She had had such hopes for him, then. For him and his whole family. To find that their mother could bear children, and do so safely, had been a miracle. _He_ had been a miracle. And then, in those days, she had treated him as such. She was not an archbishop to that boy, she was simply a friend of his mother's, and in his childish innocence, he had treated her like nothing else. Happy to hug her about her knees in greeting, to tell him excitedly of his day and his explorations, and as always, to stand beside his mother like a well-trained guard dog and be ready to run at her command without question or hesitation.

Those hopes had been dashed, twenty years ago, and then only returned to her almost a year prior. With that had come changes, changes and an iron will that she would not permit it to happen again. And with the report that Dimitri had brought back to her, she was aware now that her hopes were not unfounded. She wished to see it herself, to know that she was finally closing in upon her goal, but he stood now in her way, with those same unflinching, defiant navy eyes that he had used for his mother two decades ago. As much as she still ached for those days, for the simpler times that were bittersweet at worst yet still somehow happy, that was something she could no longer do. Instead there was only the march forward... and he was standing directly in her path.

"Warin." Rhea greeted him after taking in a cleansing, calming breath, and she bowed her head respectfully even as she wondered just how much trouble he planned to make now that they were face-to-face, and even worse, completely alone together. She should have brought someone with her. Seteth, at least, or even Catherine would have been useful here. It had been a mistake, to rush off ahead and alone, but her eagerness had been too much to ignore when she had heard the news of the transformation. She needed to see it herself, needed to prove it was real, and she hadn't thought ahead. Now she was cursing herself for it, even as she stood tall and calm, not permitting a single emotion to her face but a polite air of composure as she explained, "I have heard of your sister... and I have come to offer my services in healing her."

"Your offer is denied." Warin's answer came sharp and quick, and Rhea swore she saw a flash of arrogant amusement in those cold, calculating eyes of his as he stood with his arms crossed in front of his sister's door. She wondered if her face had shown surprise, or perhaps even annoyance at being pushed aside so easily, so carelessly, but she wasn't sure. He was a rare one, capable of upsetting her balance with nary a word or a look, and she knew, on some level, she did hate him for that. The last person to have shaken her in such a way... She had to take in another breath. She didn't even want to think of it as Warin continued calmly, "My sister has no need for healers. She's physically exhausted, but otherwise completely unharmed after her venture into the Sealed Forest. Your skills are better used elsewhere, and not wasted on her."

Rhea's eyes narrowed a tad at the direct challenge, but she knew better than to think it was going to be easy. Of course it wouldn't. He had been all but chomping at the bit for this moment, for a chance to show her his teeth, and now that he had it... He was going to revel in it, no matter how irritating, or deadly, his game would be. For the moment, she allowed it, as he had yet to push a real boundary, and she did not wish to risk him trying to cut off her access to his sister completely. He had that power, and she knew it just as well as he did, even if he had never used it. No once had he tried to intercede when she and Raine had spoken, and indeed they had several times already, not as professor and archbishop, but rather simply as two women, and to think of that being taken away, especially now...

She took in another breath. Raine was the last of his family. The last of the only thing he cared about. If she did not tread carefully with her words and actions, she would be fighting a losing battle. Raine was her own woman, stubborn, rather proud, but still caring, but she held the exact same loyalty that Warin held for her. It would only take a word and she would close herself off by choice, returning to using that mask of the Ashen Demon whenever they interacted, and she could not have that happen. So she fought with logic, her voice calm, kind, as she pushed her point with surgical precision, "I have heard that your sister's students examined her for wounds, yet found nothing. They are still students, however... They cannot guarantee that your sister is completely unharmed. I, on the other hand, have those skills. Would it not be beneficial for her to be seen by a professional, then left alone?"

"Then send for Professor Manuela. She is the head of the infirmary." Warin shot back calmly, almost as if he had been expecting her argument, and this time there was no hiding the displeasure on her face at his block of her reply. Had he been spending all this time waiting and thinking of ways to dodge and deflect her actions and offers? She could well imagine he might have. Shamir had called him one of the more resourceful men she had ever seen, and that was not a compliment given lightly. He was strong, but he was also smart, even if he was as brash as his father could be when it came to actual combat. He was proving it now as he tilted his head and examined her sharply and continued pointedly, "You are the archbishop of the church. I imagine your duties are numerous. You do not need to take precious time from your day to attend to my sister."

Warin could fight her arguments as well as he could lance, and she knew there was little chance in appealing to him through that avenue. It didn't help that when he claimed his sister was well that she fully knew he was right. Had she been injured, he would not have taken her to her quarters. He would have instead rounded the monastery entirely and then brought her directly to the infirmary and to Manuela's care. His sixth sense had told him it was not needed, so he had left her somewhere safe and familiar instead, and set himself up to watch. She needed a different approach, and so she took it without hesitation as she changed tactics as easily as she could take a breath, "Then perhaps you would allow me to inspect the recent changes she has undergone instead, if you are so certain of her lack of wounds. Prince Dimitri informed me of what occurred in the Sealed Forest. Her changes must be concerning to you."

"There's no need of that. I know what happened. Sothis provided her with a divine gift." Warin answered again without missing a beat, but this time Rhea admitted to halting almost in her tracks at the reply. He saw this, and the way he tilted his head as she watched her made her wonder just what else he knew already, and if that was a factor in his decision to stonewall her so ferociously. But to hear the goddess' name on his lips, and spoken so carelessly, made her bristle all the same, but if Warin noticed, he did not say or act on it. Rather, he continued on with an errant flick of his wrist, "Raine said as much to Dimitri, before exhaustion took her... and having seen the changes myself, I am inclined to believe him. That, combined with the other... abnormalities that have showed themselves since her birth... have shown me quite a lot. Blessed by the goddess, just as Saint Seiros was, I believe? I don't think she's comfortable with that."

"Comfort has little bearing on one when one is called to a sacred duty. And it seems that Raine is now being called upon by the Goddess to give aid, as only she can do. Her powers are enormous, and growing still every day." Rhea fought to keep her temper, and wondered at how easily Warin seemed to slide underneath her defences to prod and poke at her in order to provoke her in such a way. So few could do that. But yet, he was still so different. He possibly always would be. "As the bearer of the Sword of the Creator, and now having been given the blessing of the Goddess, this is her duty. When she is well, she will be expected to perform a ceremony, as all before her have done, to truly discover her abilities, and the reasoning for her blessings."

"If that's your wish for her, then I imagine it will be done, regardless of my opinions, or how she feels about it. But not now." Warin's reply was biting, and his eyes narrowed as his crossed arms trembled against his chest as he fought to keep his anger down. She spoke so freely about duty and blessings, and her tone of voice enraged him almost more than the sight of her did. In twenty years she had not changed an ounce, but now he was seeing her through the eyes of a seasoned mercenary, and not a besotted little boy that was blinded by innocence and ignorance. He knew greed when he saw it. It was the easiest emotion to read in a person's eyes. And Rhea was staring greedily over his shoulder at the room that housed his sister, and it raised his hackles, and made his fingernails bite into his palms as he reiterated coolly, "You are not getting within a foot of my sister while I'm here. She's resting, and she needs it more than she needs your insistence of sacred duties and obligations. She can decide for herself when she wakes."

"There will be no decisions to be made about it. Such processes must be taken into the hands of the church, especially in such dark times. This is not a question of personal desire, but rather of doing all one can in service to the good of the world." Rhea's reply was also cold, and her eyes had narrowed as she looked up at him for the first time without that perfectly composed shield of polite calm and detachment. He had succeeded in poking a hole in her defences, in finding a way to break down her mask, and he watched with careful, calculating silence as she continued in a voice that brooked no argument, "The good of the world supercedes the needs of one, as I am sure your sister understands. She is a marvellous professor, and a caring young woman... If she knew of the good she can do, and is expected to do, she will not argue."

"Truly? Then why has she expressed hesitation? Not everyone wishes to be blessed. And my sister is not even a believer in your church." Warin's reply rang of bitter laughter, and he wondered just how much Rhea's expression would change if he told her of the fact that had not only Raine been "blessed" by the Goddess, but the Goddess herself hadn't even known who she was when they traded words. It was not something his sister had kept from him, even though she had admitted she thought herself insane, but Warin had believed her immediately upon her explanation.

It all made sense. Her dreams were not her dreams, but instead were the dreams of Sothis. Her abilities were not her abilities, but merely a by-product of sharing her soul with a goddess. How else could she have survived death, a death he had known for certain had come to claim her, without some sort of inhuman aid? That night in Remire, when she had shielded Edelgard, he had been sure that it had gone differently. Even when she had stood unharmed and merely winded, he had known it was not right, and that something else had happened. In over twenty years of battle, he had never been wrong. He knew he was not wrong now. And she had confessed that he had been right when he had pressed her, and had told him everything.

_"I see her now. I hear her. That girl I dreamt of... Sothis. She's... inside of me, somehow. As if we share a soul. Even now, her voice is in my head, as clearly as yours is." Raine shook her head, her exhausted navy eyes turned down to the floor as she massaged her temples and sat on the edge of his bed in his barracks. It was late, but she had come calling on him abruptly, and he hadn't seen reason to turn her away. Especially when she looked so in need of comfort. So he had allowed her inside of his room, locking the doors on her request, and listened as she let loose her torrent of a story while he stood and watched in surprised silence. Now she was finishing, looking as drained as she must have felt to have give voice to her secrets, and she pressed her fingers to the side of her head a bit harder as she continued weakly, "I could reach out to touch her, if I wanted, when she chooses to show herself... She's the reason why I'm alive right now. Why I... can turn back the hands of time and undo mistakes that could cost my students their lives on the battlefield."_

_Warin tilted his head as he struggled for an appropriate response. Was there even one, to such an outlandish story? He mused that somewhere in his head he should have been feeling confused, or perhaps even gravely concerned that his sister had gone mad... but instead there was only a strange sense of calm. Puzzle pieces had fallen into place where before there had been shadow, and perhaps it was that knowledge that allowed him accept her words at face value and without much of a pause. He took in a breath, leaning back against the wall as he questioned her, "What is she, then? A goddess?"_

_"She... I... We, I suppose... We don't know. She called herself "The Beginning"... but what that means, we cannot guess. But all of my dreams... Her loss of memories... They must be connected somehow." Raine answered with a long sigh, and he could see clearly how the weight was pressing down on her shoulders as she slouched forward onto her knees. Her eyes were surrounded by dark shadows. She looked exhausted. Had keeping this secret been costing her sleep? He could well imagine it would have. It sounded mad. She had to have been questioning her own sanity until she finally broke and came to him so someone could at least share in her burden in some strange way. "I recognized the canyon of Zanado, when I took the students there to rid them of bandits last moon, and I've never been there before. I felt that through her. That I'd been there before, and once it had been a peaceful place. I'm sure of it."_

_"I knew something had happened that night. You're a terrible liar." Warin shook his had as he allowed a tired chuckle of his own to escape his lips as he watched his sister closely, but not coolly. So that was the truth of it, then? The answer behind the mystery. But she already was so strange. Everything about her had always been. This was merely one more thing to add onto the pile, and he saw no reason to discount it, or think lesser of her for it. And it made him glad, both that she trusted him with the truth, and that he now had answers to what had been unable to escape his mind since that night in Remire. Still, even if he believed in her implicitly, it was still a little hard to swallow whole, and he admitted that with a low breath, "But to think that it was something like that... Even I wouldn't have guessed."_

_"You believe me, then?"_

_The question was genuine and surprised, and it brought a faint smile to Warin's face despite it all. The fear crossed her face openly, something he had never seen before, but understood well. Of course she was afraid. What person in their right mind wouldn't be? It sounded like madness. It had to _feel_ like madness. If she hadn't been even slightly afraid, he would have been concerned for her more than he was now. He pushed himself off of the wall lightly, and then sat down heavily next to her as he offered another faint, but comforting smile as he reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder and squeeze before he answered simply, "Of course I do. It makes too much sense not to. Did you think I'd call you mad?"_

_"I'll admit, it crossed both of our minds. She was firmly against my telling you at all... but, thankfully, she can't stop me from doing what I will." Raine felt both sheepish and ashamed to admit it, but there was also a sense of relief and exultation at her brother's words. They weren't entirely unexpected. Not to her. But Sothis had been surprised, taken aback, even, but she had pressed on even when the little goddess' voice had risen to a shout in her ears when she had decided to tell him of everything. It felt nice to be reassured, to be proven right, and Sothis was now silent, listening intently through her ears as Raine remarked with a weak laugh, "Even if her grating in my ears gets annoying after awhile. But... You're my brother. I've been telling you of my dreams ever since I was a little girl. And I know you. I knew you'd believe me. Or at the very least, entertain me before heading off to tell Father I'd lost my mind."_

_"No. I wouldn't tell Father a word of this. Whatever she is... She's right to want this kept secret. Especially seeing as you two know nothing of what is actually happening. Why are you connected? How did that come to be? Why can't she remember anything, and yet gift you such powers? Until you know those answers, you shouldn't tell a soul. The church would come down on you like a hammer on an anvil. You'd be branded an apostate, or worse, held up like a goddess, yourself. Rhea has already made you a professor, for reasons even Father can't fathom. Don't give anyone any more excuses to be suspicious of you." Warin replied with a shake of his head, and he watched as his sister's eyes widened for a moment, and then became unfocussed as if she was looking past him. Moment later a smile was playing about her lips, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the abrupt change in manner. Was this what she meant when she said the goddess spoke to her? Was she doing so now? He couldn't help but bristle, wondering whatever the little creature who inhabited his sister's body was saying to her in the "privacy" of her own head, and it sharpened his voice as he asked roughly, "What are you smirking at? Is she saying something of me?"_

_"... She's remarking how wise you are, despite the fact that you believed me so quickly. She agrees that it's too dangerous to speak of aloud, and that's why she fought so hard against telling you. But I told her she had nothing to worry about. She's understanding and apologizing for not believing you now. At least, in her own way." Raine admitted after a pause, and her smile softened as she understood why her brother had become so sharp. It wasn't as if he understood it all, even with her best attempts to explain it. She barely understood it herself. Sothis even less so. It was simply something she had to live with and accept, and learn the rules along the way as she stumbled about blindly. It was not a nice feeling, but there was comfort, however small, in the fact that she was not doing it alone. Sothis, and her brother, were helpful in guiding her, even if they knew as little as she did, and she was not afraid to voice Sothis' thoughts aloud for her as she had given her permission to do so now that their secret was out, "She finds it odd that your loyalty leads you to refuse to doubt me, even when it seems mad, though. She finds that unnatural, even if we are family."_

_Warin raised his eyebrows, and he had to admit that again he wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. It sounded so simple, like Raine was speaking for someone sitting right there next to her, but his room was empty save for the two of them. But perhaps that just was how it was, and from the calm look on her face, he guessed it was so. It didn't make it any stranger, though, nor did it stop the hair on the back of his neck from rising instinctively to the sheer strangeness of the situation. He needed to hear more to come to terms with this, and he kept his voice calm and precise in order to disguise his unease and his real reasoning for questioning her as he asked, "So she hears what you hear, and feels what you feel, then? Is that how your connection works?"_

_"From what I know, mostly. If I were to die, so would she. Which is why she saved me in the first place. But often she... sleeps." Raine struggled to explain, and she wondered if her words were right. It wasn't as if Sothis herself knew, and that only made things all the more difficult as she was faced with her brother's questioning. Their lives were inextricably tied, Sothis had said so, but what else they shared was still mostly a mystery. Sothis did not hunger nor thirst, as she had no body, yet she seemed to take joy in Raine's own movements, as if she was living vicariously through her actions. But she was not always awake, and sometimes needed to be "roused" if she was asleep... and other times she was just silent, listening from wherever it was her soul seemed to dwell, but more often than not she was appearing as a "solid" form in her quarters, scaring the life of her and taking a sadistic delight in it in the privacy of "their" room. "Still, if I call to her, she'll answer, and if she has something to say, she never hesitates to speak to me... But only I can hear her voice. It's been difficult adjusting to, even now. I had to learn not to leap out of my skin when she spoke up at first... It wasn't easy."_

_"I can imagine... But if she's listening now... Then she needs to know I never doubt my family. No matter how outlandish their claims may be. You have never been normal, but you have always been my sister. If you say a goddess resides within you, then I'll believe it. You've never lied successfully to me yet. I doubt that will change anytime soon." Warin shook his head and waved a hand errantly, and he watched the relief saturate his sister's face as she watched him with a small smile gracing her lips. That sight was new, too, but he didn't find it unwelcome, even if it was coming in the midst of all this strangeness. He supposed he could grow used to it, if at least it came with the pleasure of watching his sister learn to smile more freely. However, his face turned serious, and his voice lowered as he continued on firmly, "And so long as she proves to care for you, even if it's just self-preservation because your lives are tied together... I won't breathe a word of your secret to anyone. So long as she continues to not be a risk to you."_

_"So long as she isn't a risk to me?"_

_"If she becomes one, I'll find a way to remove her from you. You've my word on that." Warin answered with narrowed eyes, and he watched his sister's eyes widen again in surprise at his vehemence. It was obvious she had never thought a negative thing of Sothis, despite the fact that she was clearly bothered and inconvenienced by it, and the sight of that calmed him. Whatever actual influence this little goddess had on his sister was not one he needed to fear even if he did not trust it inherently, but if Raine was welcoming of this, in her own strange way... "But, it seems I've no need to worry about that. She doesn't seem harmful, at least not to you. And she saved your life. I owe her a debt for that, at the very least, even if she was protecting her own at the same time. So, I'll be agreeable to this... for now."_

_"She's right. You _are _strange, Warin."_

_"Thank you, I suppose."_

Now, Warin watched as Rhea struggled for a reply to his words, clearly knowing that anything she said could potentially anger him and force him to cut her off entirely if he decided to do so. He enjoyed the power he was wielding, if only for a moment, due to the rarity of it all. He was so used to being on the other end of the spectrum, biting his tongue and bowing his head to the stronger or the rich, because he simply didn't have the power to fight them on an even level. Rhea had been dangling her strength over his head ever since his entry into the monastery, and it had been slowly but surely driving him mad. Being on the other end was satisfying, but he knew better than to revel in it. His sister could change her mind. Could decide she wanted to be a part of whatever crusade Rhea was clearly planning on using her for, and that was not a choice he could make for her. No, it was not one he would make. He would have to wait for that, but in the interim...

"You aren't welcome here, Rhea. I would suggest you leave." Warin spoke curtly, sharply, and he leaned back slightly on the locked door behind him. He felt safe and secure here, guarding his sleeping sister, and he was grateful for it as he found his grounding again. He had felt so lost this past two moons, mourning and struggling, and even now he still felt empty for his inability to take vengeance for his father... but he could watch over Raine in his stead, and that was enough for him for now. He would not allow Rhea to take a step into his sister's room while she slept on, oblivious, and nor would he allow for her to be the first thing she saw when she woke. She would need time to process, to grieve, and he intended to be the first one there for that, regardless of Rhea's wishes. "Nothing you say will change my mind, and unless you intend to move me by force... You aren't setting a foot in my sister's room."

"Do you truly hate me that much, Warin?"

The question was unexpected, and so was the expression of hurt and sadness that she wore as she watched him forlornly. Her beautiful face was twisted with honest sadness, grief that she had shown when Jeralt had died, but he hadn't wanted to see it then, and had sharply turned away from her when she had offered her sympathies. Now she was watching him with those same sad eyes, like she was remembering something sweeter and longing for it, and the expression made him bristle as his anger came roaring back to the forefront of his mind.

How dare she look so sad and ask such a question when she knew exactly what she had done to earn it? Was it an attempt at garnering sympathy? If it was, he was only more disgusted with her than he was before, and it was a battle to keep his arms firmly crossed on his chest so he could hide how tightly curled his hands had become. His fingernails were puncturing his palms, carving four crescent moon-shaped wounds into his flesh, and the blood felt hot as he struggled to keep himself firmly rooted in place. He had never been so angry before. He could taste iron, and his vision was threatening to tinge with red as he looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and hate. His words escaped him before better thought could reign it in, and he was tired, oh so tired, of keeping up the charade that he felt a momentary exultation as he answered her coldly, "Yes, Rhea. I _do_ truly hate you that much. The last time you cared for a member of my family, they ended up dead. I won't trust you with another, especially when she's the last living one I have. You let my mother die. Why would I ever allow my sister to be left under your supervision?"

The words were swordstrokes, and Rhea winced away from them as if they physically hurt her as he spoke them. He took a dull sort of satisfaction from it, watching the way her eyes widened, then closed tightly as she absorbed his accusations, his hatred, without a single word. It was good to see the guilt on her face, the remorse and the pain, as it proved that she felt something for her actions, even if he wasn't entirely sure what it was. He didn't care if his father had never chosen to fully pin blame, as he had, and he would never let her live free from it if he could help it. This was his one and only chance, while they stood alone and on opposing ends, and he sank the dagger in and twisted cruelly as he continued in a cold, vicious voice, "I'll trust Raine's healing to someone who hasn't robbed us of all we have, if you don't mind. I'm no longer a boy who doesn't know the real you. I've grown. Grown enough to know who you are, and what you're willing to do to have what you want. So long as I'm here... You'll never have it. Not without a fight. Leave me and my sister be."

Rhea said nothing, breathing in deeply as the dagger slid in harshly between her ribs and stabbed directly into her unprotected heart. It hurt. It hurt deeply. It stirred up old guilt, old remorse, and again those sweet, sweet days where she was a failure, but still somehow managing to enjoy what little miracles she could catch with her desperately reaching fingers. She would never say Warin's hatred was undeserved. Nor would she ever fight him on it. She knew those feelings all too intimately to ever dismiss them offhandedly. And hearing him say it so clearly, so venomously, she lost all will to proceed forward for the moment. There would be time later, time when she was collected again, and not so clearly hurt and vulnerable.

_Hypocrite._

The word echoed like thunder in her ears, and she took in another deep breath as she did a half turn away from Warin, and from his sleeping sister. It was not her voice that spoke it. It didn't need to be. But it made her grimace and wince and shiver all the same. She saw red-covered canyons, that beautiful, detestable blade, and so much more than made her sick to her stomach with grief and memory. Was that similar to what Warin saw, each and every time he looked at her? She wouldn't be surprised if it was. And that only made her grit her teeth, and swallow down the sudden rise of bile in her throat. It wasn't wrong of him. He was not wrong. And she hated him, and herself, for that.

'It does not matter... I am too close now.' All too quickly though she was shoving it all aside, shoving it all down and steeling herself again. There wasn't time for this. Perhaps after, perhaps when things were right again, she could finally be able to sit down and allow it all to come washing over her head and her hands. She could rest, rest and succumb, just as she knew that she should despite it all. But that was not a luxury she could indulge in now. She was too close. They were all so close. It was just beyond her grasp now, so tantalizingly near that she was willing to push everything else to the side, and she did so without a moment's regret. It was too important. It had been too long. But she was a predator, too. She could be as patient as he could. Even more so. And she proved it as she spoke over her shoulder as she made to leave, "Very well, Warin... I shall take my leave, for now. But I will speak to your sister when she rises, and I shall assign her her mission for the coming moon. There is no stopping what has been set in motion. Not even you can stand against the will of the goddess, even if you stand against me."

Warin watched her leave, but he felt no sense of victory, or relief, as she rounded the corner that would lead her to the monastery's cathedral. She was right. He could not stop what was coming. He was one man, and a man of no power or influence. His sister was bound here still by her students, and she would not leave them... but perhaps when they left, he could convince her to go, too. The longer they stayed here, the less safe he felt, and it made him bare his teeth in both anger and defiance at the thought. Danger was coming, more and more quickly, and this time he felt it was poised to not just strike at him, but at everything and everyone around him.

'A gift, they called it...' Warin thought sourly, reminded of the many times his father's men, and the knights, had looked to him and thanked him for his foresight that had kept them from trouble, or worse. He hated it. Whatever it really was, Warin doubted that it was really a gift. Every time he sensed the danger, he felt sick to his stomach, frozen with helplessness and the understanding that something horrible was swiftly approaching him and the people he was to protect or watch over. It was useful, it saved lives, but he still wouldn't call it a gift. What use was it, when it couldn't tell him where the danger was coming from? 'This place is a death trap... It's getting heavier and heavier every day... If only I knew what was happening, maybe I could stop it altogether, rather than just stand here uselessly and tremble in fear of it...'

_"She needs us to protect her, Warin. To keep her safe, happy, and content. She can't tell us what she needs. What she wants... So, we'll have to watch, and always be ready. Do you want to do that, Warin? Do you want to be her protector?"_

Warin allowed himself a deep, heaving sigh as his father's words echoed loudly in his head and forced his hands to loosen. They were words that repeated themselves constantly, and even moreso now that the famed Blade Breaker shared a grave with his beloved wife. He was the only one left now. The only one who understood her. Perhaps no longer the only one willing to give everything to protect her, but still... He was still never going to allow for her students to be first in line when the time arose. That was his role, his meaning, and he took comfort in it rather than feeling it as a burden.

A quiet creak brought him back to the present, and he turned on his heel to see the door behind him opening up a crack. His sister stood unsteady and hesitant in the doorway, her strange, seafoam-green eyes watching him warily, and he reminded himself that this was now her new normal, and not to stare. She looked discomforted enough as it was, and he smiled at her wryly as he wondered if she had been woken by his and Rhea's arguing. He nodded to her in greeting, stepping forward as he asked gently, "Are you feeling all right? You look like you could use more sleep. If I woke you, I'm sorry."

"It's hard to sleep when I hear arguing right outside of my door... but that's neither here nor there. And I don't want to talk about it in the open." Raine answered tiredly, and she rubbed at her eyes as she felt the sweet call of sleep beckoning her back to bed. She ignored it however, shoving it away cruelly as she looked up into her brother's face. He looked as tired as she felt, though she doubt he noticed it, himself. He was too busy worrying, always worrying, and it brought a wry smile of her own to her face. They'd waited long enough, now. And with what had happened... She opened the door and gestured absently for him to enter. "I think we need to sit and talk, Warin. There's a lot we need to discuss."

"Yeah... I think so, too."

**AN:**

**I really do not know if I can write Rhea that well, but I did try my best with what I have... She's very difficult to capture as a character, especially when I'm trying to play her as she is at this point and time in the story; someone with many, many secrets, and many good reasons to keep them. Still, I am relatively happy with what I've written down at the moment, but I'll understand if people disagree with my portrayal. Just remember that despite how Warin is, I am NOT an anti-church member! I do like Rhea as a character, as flawed as she is (like the rest of the cast), but she is extraordinarily difficult to write! XD**

**So, the next chapter will wrap up this little trilogy of an aftermath, with Warin and Raine finally sitting down for a long heart-to-heart about the things that have happened, are happening, and will happen in the future. After that, I have roughly... two or so more fics planned, before the timeskip will occur. How that will be addressed, I'm not quite sure. I do know there's one fic I'll be writing roughly before canon starts back up again, but other than that, it's kind of a blank slate. But, I can say that things will be turning mildly from canon before I get there anyhow. I've taken a cue from a review or two I've gotten, which has inspired me to think a little bit on things involving the Black Eagles, but we'll see how that works out as we go!**

**As always, thank you for reading so far, and please, please, please drop a review should you feel the need. I'm always so eager for more feedback, and it helps me improve as much as it helps me feel the urge to write! I hope you guys all have a good time until we see each other again! See ya!**

**Mood: Intrigued.**

**Listening To: "The Reckoning" - Within Temptation**

**~ Sky**


	3. Rallying Roars

**White Clouds**

**Dormitories (Professor's Quarters)**

**Guardian Moon**

**Year 1180**

The two siblings sat quiet in Raine's quarters, the eldest having taken her chair at her desk for his use, while the youngest sat perched on the edge of her cot. Their father's diary lay closed on her lap, with one hand protectively covering the bound leather book, and Warin looked at it with a twinge of painful longing in his chest. Raine watched his eyes carefully, and she let out a tired breath as she carefully ran a fingertip down the spine of the diary her father had kept so diligently even before her own birth. She had read it cover to cover over a dozen times, and had learned much of her family and their world, but much still did not entirely add up to her, even now. The silence between her and her brother had lasted too long, and she shook her head, her now-changed hair curling against her cheeks as a reminder of her growing differences as she began tiredly, "How many times have you read this?"

"Plenty. Father didn't keep secrets from me... I demanded that of him, after we left the monastery. He wasn't happy about it, but he obliged when I made it clear I wouldn't follow him if he did." Warin shook his head as a bitter half-smile curled at his lips at the remembrance of his youthful arrogance that he more than regretted now. How had he dared to look up at his father and make such demands of him in such a trying time? He had no idea. He would have never been able to do it now. Yet he had then, angry and mourning, and for some reason he never understood, his father had ceded to him, and never again had anything been kept from him, no matter how small, or large. "I was a brat, then, after Mother's death. Unreasonable and full of rage... I took it out on everything and everyone. Including him. It was his way of placating me, maybe. But he gave me everything I asked for, and let me read his diary. Much I didn't understand until I was older... but it gave me a glimpse into things I never would have known otherwise."

Raine fought a smile, but there was nothing but wariness in her seafoam-coloured eyes as she watched her brother carefully. His regret was painted clearly all over his face, and she wondered if he noticed that he was reaching up to his throat to idly place his hand over the ring he was wearing underneath his tunic. She had seen him do so before, but now she understood the meaning behind it, and her body ached with a phantom pain as she wondered if everything she had read inside of Jeralt's diary was the complete truth. From her father's perspective it had to be, but she also wanted her brother's, and it forced her to ask without much preamble, "Was Mother truly like he described?"

"Exactly. She was beautiful, smart, and kind. Kinder than anyone I ever knew." Warin answered at once and without hesitation, and the hand that had been gently caressing the ring that hang on his chest became tightly clasping. The memory of her was one he held dear, too dear, perhaps, but he didn't mind his sister's questioning. He had anticipated that one day it would come, and he had spent years preparing for it. She was the only one permitted to violate his taboo, the one person he would allow to dig at old wounds for the sake of healing her own, and he let out a breath of his own as he ran a tired hand through his hair, "She looked just like you, too. Father and I were certain you'd be a boy, but Mother knew you'd be a girl... Somehow, she was always certain of that. She chose your name. It was the last thing I remember her saying, before she was taken away for the birth. She said flowers couldn't bloom without rain."

Raine allowed a sad smile, and her hand again tenderly traced the spine of her father's diary as she mused that he had left that part out when he had spoken of her birth. But the grief of losing his wife had clouded everything in the many entries afterward, and she did not fault him for that. Losing his wife had changed her father greatly, and not for the better. He had become fearful and angry, fleeing the church and abandoning his duties in his desire to protect his children, and she looked away as one hand crept up her chest to where silence reigned where normally a heartbeat would pound against her fingers.

That day, after reading his journal for the first time, Raine hadn't been able to comprehend the words written down before her when she had retreated to her room after her talk with Rhea. Little had penetrated the veil of grief and shock then, and she had sat for hours, hand pressed against her chest, as she searched in vain for what didn't exist. She had never thought of it. Never once considered it. But hadn't that always been the way of things? Not concerning herself with the details, and doing only as she was told because that was how she was raised? The thought made her feel ill. And she spoke quietly, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her as she asked her brother, "So, then you know I don't have a heartbeat?"

"I know. Everything Father wrote down... I knew. And I also knew before he told me. I carried you, several times, during our flight from the monastery. I felt it for myself." Warin replied quietly but honestly, and the look of hurt in his sister's eyes cut him deeply. She was only learning of herself now, of all the things that he and his father had come to accept and even love about her, so it was natural that she wasn't as accepting or calm about any of it. How could she be? It was unnatural. Inhuman. She would not think the same, or rationalize things, the way he and Jeralt had after so many years of living alongside her. But he owed it to her now to be honest, to explain what little he could as they now sat with the truth now sitting in the open between them, "You didn't cry when you were born. You never cried, or laughed. You would just lay there, silent and staring until you fell asleep. When you were hungry, when you hurt, we never knew. We always had to guess. It terrified us, honestly."

"Of course it did. I had to seem like little more than a monster to you."

"No. You're misunderstanding." Warin's voice grew sharp at his sister's bitter declaration, and his eyes narrowed as she looked up at him with confusion painted clearly all over her face. He shook his head, disliking the path of her thoughts deeply, and his hands curled into fists as he understood what she had taken from the diary rather than what he had hoped she would learn of their parents. Seeing her self-disgust, hearing her belittle herself wasn't permitted, and he was quick to leap on it as he explained with a tinge of a growl to his voice, "We didn't care that you were different. You were the last gift Mother had to give to us, and we loved you unconditionally. Whatever it was that made you the way you were wasn't important to us. What mattered was your happiness. Your safety. You couldn't cry to tell us if you hurt, or were hungry, or uncomfortable. Not in the way that any other infant could. _That_ was what frightened us. How would we know if you needed us otherwise? We had to watch you, endlessly, ceaselessly, to be sure you were all right. At least until you grew old enough to tell us yourself. Anything else didn't matter."

"My not having a heartbeat didn't matter?" Raine asked with a raised eyebrow, and she was grimly satisfied to see her brother's lips twitch in obvious anger at her words. He was lying, and poorly, and she disliked it almost as much as he did. Of course it mattered. Why else would he hold such a grudge against Rhea? It wasn't just for his mother's death that he loathed the archbishop. He also blamed her for whatever had made his little sister the way she was. And she wasn't entirely sure he was wrong, which scared her more than the fact that she had undergone such wild changes after allowing Sothis to merge her soul with hers. "Look at me, Warin. Born without emotions, without the ability to cry or laugh... Those dreams that haunted me all my life... Sothis being born within me... And my Crest. A Crest not seen since the days of Nemesis and gods walking the earth? I'm far from different. I'm not even human."

"You're human. Whatever it was that ailed you in your childhood isn't a problem now. You haven't had issue expressing your emotions since we got here. And don't think Father and I didn't notice. It was never you not having emotions, it was you having difficulty expressing them. And there's a vast difference between the two." Warin snapped back sharply, and he was aware he was lashing out, but he couldn't quite help himself. It was too insulting. They were family. She was no monster, and he wouldn't allow for her to think so. "As for Sothis... She saved your life. Would she do that for a being that wasn't human?"

Raine's teeth grit down as she felt a flare of both anger and guilt at the reminder of what had happened, and what had been said between the two of them. Sothis had questioned her existence constantly, and they hadn't been close to finding an answer before she had disappeared from her life. She had mused on it, at the last blaming herself for her condition and considering it had all been Rhea's doing, but there hadn't been any more time to discuss it further. And Sothis was no longer there to help her figure out the mystery. All that was left was her powers, flickering through her unwilling body, and she muttered bitterly as she caught a glimpse of her changed hair and eyes in the mirror hanging on the side of her wall, "I don't think she had a choice in the matter."

"Raine. You're not some inhuman monster just because your heart doesn't beat. You still breathe and bleed, just as I do. You were still born of the same parents I was." Warin grasped his sister by the shoulders, jerking her gaze away from the mirror as he knew the sight of herself was only proving her own self-doubts. She pulled away from him, unwilling, but he didn't let her go. He waited until her eyes flickered up, different in colour but the same in rebellious, prideful spirit, and it reassured him that no matter what changes had happened, she was still the same. No amount of doubt, of worry, would ever really change the woman she was. And it made him confident as he reiterated himself firmly, "Whatever happened to you, whatever was _done _to you, it doesn't change the fact that you're alive. You are not a monster. You're human, and I love you."

"So you agree with Father, then?" Raine questioned, though she already was aware of the answer. She had heard the arguing outside, though she had been too groggy to make out all of the words when it had woken her. But the heat, the hate... She didn't need to know the words being said to know Warin had finally given vent to the emotions he had been holding close to his heart for the near year they had spent here in the monastery. Still, knowing that Warin also shared his father's suspicions was new, and she wanted confirmation as she asked him bluntly, "Do you blame Rhea for my condition?"

"Father didn't go that far. I don't think he had the courage to. He worshipped Rhea. I was too young for that. When she came out of that room without Mother and holding you, silent as the grave... I fully believe she did something to you to make you the way you were." Warin answered her with a cold shake of his head, and he dropped his hold on her before standing up and crossing the room back to his seat. He felt exhausted, but the embers were still burning, and it showed as his eyes glinted icily as he looked back at his sister's eyes and continued, "She wanted something from you. She still does. And if she wants something from you, that's all the more reason to get the hell out of here."

The words surprised her, though she knew numbly, that they shouldn't. Warin had never made it a secret that he hated the monastery, that he wanted to return to the mercenary life, but he had been tethered against his will and could not fight the leash the church had put on him. Now that their father was dead... That leash had been removed, if only partially. Of course he wanted to leave. Why else would he stay? Rhea had no hold on him now. But she still found herself asking, startled and wanting confirmation from his own mouth, "You want to leave the monastery? Run away, like Father did?"

"I want _us_ to leave." Warin clarified firmly, and he could see from the look in her eyes that she was not about to agree to such a thing. He had expected it, and he was not surprised by her immediate, heated refusal that both made him proud, and disappointed him all at the same time. She loved her students too much. They loved _her_ too much. He had seen it himself. Both from the Blue Lions as a house, and down to their individual students, including the house leader. Blind as they were, the love was there and real, and nothing would ever convince Raine to leave them behind, including her own safety or well-being.

"No. I'm not abandoning my students. Not now. Never. I made a promise. I have to take care of them."

"I didn't say you had to leave them, Raine." Warin sighed, and he wondered how she managed to become so enamoured in less than a year, but yet still wasn't sure how he could feel disappointed by her. It was her way. She showed her family the same loyalty, and now the Blue Lions House had become her family. She would not show them any less love than she had showed her father, or him. He raised a hand to quell more arguments, knowing full well she was ready to continue until she was hoarse because of her passion for her students, and he reassured her tiredly, "Stay until graduation if you must, and see your students off safely, but we can't linger longer. Rhea intends to do something else to you. She spoke of some holy ceremony she intends to perform to invoke the Goddess. She called it a sacred duty. Do you want to be a party to that?"

"Invoke the Goddess...? That won't be easy, even if it was possible." Raine almost laughed, wondering at the absurdity. It was true enough that she had received something akin to a blessing, but it didn't feel anything like one. It felt like a curse, especially considering the cost she had been forced to pay for it. This power was not something she wanted, even if it had been something she needed at the time. She could no longer hear the little goddess' voice, or feel her presence. If it was truly Sothis that Rhea wished to summon... It would not matter. She doubted there was a single thing that could be done, now that they had merged their souls together. "Sothis... Sothis is gone. I can't hear or see her anymore. Not since... what happened to make me like this."

"What exactly happened?"

"A trap." Raine explained tiredly, and she rubbed at the bridge of her nose as she cursed herself for the foolishness that had almost cost her her students, and had cost her her dear friend. She had known that her anger was going to lead her to foolishness. Her father had pounded that lesson into her during her earliest days of training... and yet she had forged ahead, spurred with rage and the desire for vengeance, and she had fallen headlong into the most obvious trap she could possibly imagine. It was a miracle she was alive. "Solon used Kronya to lure me into the Sealed Forest... Then, he used a spell. It transported me somewhere... Somewhere not of this earth. Sothis... She gave me her power so I could escape. To do so, it meant... joining her soul to mine. And then she disappeared. All this power... These changes... It came at a price. A price she was happy to pay if it meant helping me escape a trap I ran headlong into. I know I never asked for it, for her to be a part of me, but... I still loved her. She was like a sister. I know it sounds mad, but... Damn it, I'm mourning her, now, too."

"And you still think you're not human? Raine, no monster mourns for the dead." Warin shook his head slowly, letting out a long breath as he watched his sister look down at her hands guiltily. She had known, just as much as he had, that something was likely to happen on her blind run for vengeance, but she had gone ahead anyway, just as he would have if he had been there. The price she paid for that selfishness was clearly written out in her eyes, and he needed no more to see she'd been punished enough. It was over with. All they could do was move on. But he still felt compelled to speak, and he did so sternly, but not unkindly as he continued, "Only the living do. Humans. I don't care what anyone else says. What you say. You're my sister. My family. You will always be human, no matter what power you gain, what Crest you possess, or weapon you can wield."

Raine said nothing in reply for a long while as she allowed his words to sink in and give her much-needed relief for her shame and guilt. It wasn't complete, and she still ached, but hearing her brother say so firmly that she was human to him, regardless of everything else, helped stem the tide, at least a little. It was not something he would ever say just to assuage her fears, and that helped her find her calm. She turned away from her own musings, instead focussing now on what was to come, and a frown creased her brow as she shook her head and leaned back into the wall, "And this holy ceremony? Ritual? What exactly is Rhea expecting of me? What does she want?"

"I don't know what Rhea wants. Perhaps she thinks she can bring the Goddess back to walk the earth as she once did." Warin shrugged, but his eyes were dark and his expression even moreso as he cast a wary eye about her room as if he was looking for listeners. He knew he was growing more and more morose. More suspicious. But he couldn't help it. The net was drawing tighter. The noose rubbing against his throat. He was unsettled down to his very bones, and Rhea's ominous words, her decisions that took all the power from his hands, his sister's hands, did not help that feeling. He lowered his voice, leaning forward in his seat as he continued intently, "But it's all the more reason to leave. She claims it's for the good of Fódlan... I don't buy it. Do you?"

"... No, I don't believe that, either." Raine agreed with a wry shake of her head, but all the same, she found herself looking down at her hands as she spoke. She flexed her fingers and let out a deep breath, and again she slid her eyes to the wall where that small mirror Annette had gifted her hung. Her appearance was foreign, as was the power that was flowing through her veins now, but she felt the burden of it weighing heavy on her shoulders. Sothis had given her these gifts at the cost of herself. She couldn't simply turn her back on that, on the sacrifice and what she was reaped from it, and she spoke slowly as she glanced back to her brother, "But, despite that... I do have these powers now. Don't I have a responsibility to use them in any way I can? Disregarding Rhea... This could be a boon in hunting down the Flame Emperor."

"You've got a point there..." Warin allowed with a shake of his head, disliking her words and her quick, flippant way of dismissing the wants Rhea had put on his sister and how she so easily sidestepped the thoughts of her own desires. Was it feelings of obligation to Sothis? To her students? He wasn't entirely sure, and he did admit it discomforted him that she wasn't about to put herself first in this situation. However... He looked at her closely, and chose his words quite carefully as he pointed out, "We can't allow the Flame Emperor to roam free. Especially after what you told me what you and Dimitri overheard. He's not just a simple menace that we can ignore. I'll give you that much. But I have to ask you; how long will you join Dimitri on his quest for vengeance? Will you allow yourself to become a slave to the Church of Seiros in order to help him find it?"

"For a little while longer, maybe. Dimitri saw _my_ need for vengeance fulfilled. I can't just simply abandon him, knowing what I know now, and having seen what I've seen." Raine replied, and she admitted she was slightly surprised by how little concern she felt by the honesty of her answer. It didn't bother her, becoming a pawn of the church, if it meant she could help Dimitri with his goal of revenge. She wanted to help him, in any way she could, so he could begin to heal. He was damaged, damaged deeply, and she could think of no other way than solving the mystery behind the Tragedy to help him begin to find peace. If it meant losing some of her already slim autonomy... It seemed a small price to pay. "Solon and Kronya were only two pieces of a larger puzzle... We can't tear this evil out at the root if we don't stick around to find this so-called Thales, and the Flame Emperor. Why not use the church's resources to our advantage? At least until all of this is over. Then we can leave."

Warin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he understood his sister's stubbornness far outweighed his own, and that he had gravely underestimated the growing feelings she had for the Kingdom's prince. Even if she didn't know, or mistook it for obligation as a teacher, there was no questioning the fact that she loved him deeply. To throw away the one thing she wanted more than anything else since she had stepped foot inside of the monastery for the noble, without so much as a second thought... Nothing else but love would have spurred her so. It was both somehow exhausting and satisfying, knowing she had changed so, and that those changes were having a clear impact on those around her. Dimitri was the same, even if he was just as blind. Fools, the both of them, and yet he had to smile all the same behind his hand as he remarked idly, "Those are the only conditions you'll allow, I imagine."

"I won't leave my students... and I don't want to leave the Flame Emperor and his minions free to wreak havoc as they please." Raine reiterated firmly, and her eyes once again took on that stubborn, determined gleam that she was known for as she buried her insecurities and doubts down deep in order to reach for her confidence again. Having a plan, having even a faint idea for the future, gave her courage that she sorely needed in such a tumultuous time. Knowing her brother had her back, had already been moving ahead when she had stumbled and was waiting for her, was greatly comforting. But she still stuck close to her wants, her duties, as she continued, "Once my students graduate, and once we've taken care of those responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur, and Remire... I'll go with you. Wherever you decide is best."

"If those are your terms, then I'll abide by them. It doesn't quite help that I'd like to get my hands on that filthy coward just as much as you would... but after... It's over for me." Warin let out a relieved breath, and he leaned back in his seat with no small hint of satisfaction as the thought of leaving the monastery and putting ground under his feet filled his head. He had lingered too long in this place. The open road was calling to him loudly, and he had been forced to ignore it for long enough. He hated to stay in any one place. It made him feel uncomfortable and anxious. He was too used to the roving life, to the way of the mercenary, and he could imagine no better thing than returning to it after a year of being locked into submission to the Church of Seiros and her knights.

"What are you planning?"

"To return to our old life. Father may be gone, but I'm still a mercenary at heart. I'll travel. Far from here, if necessary. Finding work will never be much trouble. Mercenaries are always in demand. It'll be a simple life, compared to what we've lived this past year... but that's really all I want. To live simply." Warin explained with a smile, and the thought of simpler days, or better days, from the past haunted him and gave him comfort all at once. It would not be the same as it had been, without their father and with his sister greatly changed from her time in the monastery, but he was confident in her, and in himself. They could return to their old ways, to their old lives, and still find fulfilment and safety so long as they were together. However, he did take pause, looking sidelong at his sister as he understood she very well could have changed her mind on what it was she wanted out of life, and he respected that as he asked her gently, "And you? What is it that you want to do?"

"I... I don't know what it is I want. But travelling with you until I figure it out doesn't sound like a terrible thing. There's a lot I still need to learn about the world. I'd rather do it beside you than without you." Raine answered readily enough, and she was surprised by the pang in her stomach as she thought of the life she would be leaving behind once she turned her back on the monastery. It would be sad to go, though she knew once the Blue Lions all left that little would actually be holding her hostage. Her students were what she cared for most, not so much the teaching life as a whole, and putting that behind would not hurt overmuch. But she would still miss her students, the youth that had done so much in teaching her how to live again, and that would be the worst part of going. The thought however caught her short, and she found herself glancing up to her bedpost, where her sword hung by its belt on the rounded edge, and she reached errantly for it as she began slowly, "I... I suppose that means giving up the Sword of the Creator to do so, though, doesn't it...?"

"Parting from it can't be easy." Warin mused with a small, sad smile as he saw the wanting and care deeply burning in his sister's eyes. He understood her attachment to the blade, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the sheer power it wielded. No, his sister couldn't care less if the Sword of the Creator was a Relic, or even the most powerful one to exist. Such things held no appeal for her. It was a blade, just like any other blade, but mercenaries had a tendency to become attached to the weapons they used. Their faith in their weapons made them almost like a mount, trusted, tried, and true to their hand, and Raine hadn't been any different. That sword was a partner, just as much as Sothis had been. Leaving it behind would be almost as difficult as leaving her students, even if she knew it was for the best.

"No, I don't think it will be. It feels like a part of me now. As much as an arm or a leg... and then Sothis... It's my last link to her. I could wield it because of her power. I'm sure of it. But it doesn't belong in the hands of a no-name mercenary." Raine sighed, and she allowed her fingers to lovingly brush along the time-worn scabbard as she thought of the old, cracked blade that she had been wielding for what felt like a lifetime. It would be strange, fighting without it, but she also was aware it did not belong to her no matter how much it felt otherwise. She could not run from the monastery and take it with her. To do so would be foolhardy. But she would miss it, all the same, and would long for it as she forced her hand to get used to another blade once it was far behind her. "I won't steal it away from the monastery. I'll return it to where it belongs before we leave. It wouldn't feel right to take it with me, even if I'm not eager to part from it."

"Part of me says you should take it, damn the consequences, but we'd be hunted to the ends of the world if you did. And rightfully so. Not to mention there'd be no chance of keeping our anonymity if you took it with you. The sword's too recognizable. Stories will get out, and hiding would become impossible... I'm sorry for that." Warin's words were sympathetic even if they were pragmatic, and Raine offered him a grateful smile at his kindness. Of course he would understand. Who else really would? To anyone else, it would seem like she was craving its power and didn't wish to be without it, but that was as far from the truth as they could get. It was merely chance that a weapon like that had found her hand, and after so many moons of using it... It was a friend, and she would ache when they parted, just as anyone else would from a dear comrade taking their leave. He shook his head slowly as he thought of all he was asking his sister to do, to risk, and it made him hesitate before he began slowly, "Leaving here will come with consequences... Many of them. We may be chased. No, we very likely _will _be chased... We may need to leave Fódlan in its entirety. I can't be sure... And you're sure it's what you want?"

"I can't stay somewhere where you aren't with me. We're family. The only family we have left. We need to stay together." Raine's answer came quickly and firmly, and her eyes narrowed at the line of questioning her brother took. She understood it came from concern, but she didn't care. She had made her choice when their father had been killed. No matter what... She would stay by her brother's side through everything and anything that came at the both of them. She had been too late for Jeralt. She would not make the same mistake with Warin. "I have a duty to my students, and I'll see it through, but after that... I'll go with you anywhere. Even as far as the end of the world, if that's what it takes."

"I'm glad we agree." Warin ran a hand through his hair, and he wondered momentarily at the feeling of relief that suffused his limbs and made his tense muscles relax. There hadn't been any doubt in him that she would want to join him on his journeys. It was simple mathematics that they would be together. Yet, hearing her say so aloud had calmed him, and he chuckled quietly to himself at his stupidity. Of course he had worried, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. All he had been doing lately was worry. Worrying and cursing himself for never being there when he could have made a difference. That changed today. It all was going to change today. "And as for this ritual of Rhea's... I'm joining you. I won't permit her to say no. You aren't going through anything again without me. Until the time your students graduate, you and I won't be separated again. Can we also agree on that?"

"Of course. I'll make an argument for your assignment to my house for the moon... If she wants me to participate in something for myself, then I've every right to demand that you be there for me. I just hope she doesn't try to involve the students." Raine agreed without a moment of hesitation to her brother's words, but she also felt herself pause with concern about her house. Would Rhea rope them into this ritual as well, even if they had no real reason to be involved? She was their professor, but what had happened had happened to her alone. She didn't want to drag them through more worry and mystery, simply for her own sake. It wasn't right. And she knew she had worried them. She wouldn't have woken up in her own room, after fainting in the Sealed Forest, without them. "I've caused them enough worry as it is... And then this change... I don't want to scare them, or make them more concerned. They've graduation approaching. That's far more important than me."

Warin chuckled, but he said nothing as he wondered if she had no clue of what had happened after falling unconscious in the Sealed Forest. From her furrowed brow it seemed to be so, and he had to fight another laugh. What colour would her face turn if he told her that Dimitri alone had carried her from the Sealed Forest and all the way back to the monastery? He was quite interested in knowing the answer. Perhaps it would even make her think deeply on herself for once, if he was to tell her the truth. That alone could be worth the potential trouble it would bring.

Mischief overruled common sense, and he opened his mouth to begin to remark only to be cut off by the sound of sharp rapping at the door. Both turned at once at the sound, and Raine rose automatically, but Warin raised a hand to stop her. She sank back onto the edge of her cot, eyeing the door warily, and Warin stood in her place as he felt that age-old annoyance returning to rear its head. Hadn't he told the prince to take a rest and tell his friends that Raine was going to do the same? And he doubted Rhea was fool enough to return to try her luck after their blistering confrontation earlier, either.

"Sit. I'll handle it."

The orders were unnecessary, but Raine didn't much mind as she watched her brother move for the door without a moment's pause. He was in full guard-dog mode, and there was no snapping him out of such a mood whenever he was of mind to be in it. She had learned that quite young, that her brother was her protector first and sibling second, and it was simply his way of showing his love. She was at ease with him there when she was weak, and she trusted him implicitly as he opened the door a fraction, likely ready to deliver a blistering rebuke to whoever had come to disturb her rest.

"Oh, good, you're here, still, Sir Warin! That means all of our extras won't go to waste!"

Raine blinked, then abruptly broke into a smile as the door opened against Warin's will and a handful of her students all but barrelled inside to fill her small quarters without a moment's regard for him. Ashe was leading the pack with two heavily-laden plates in hand, and he put them down on her desk before turning to see her sitting in bed and watching them all with with amusement. The grey-haired archer offered her a blinding smile, and he yanked Dedue next to him as Mercedes and Annette poked their heads around Warin with their own hands full of a basket of what she could only assume were sweets as Ashe explained cheerfully, "Professor! His Highness explained you were resting, but it's gotten quite late, and we didn't see you in the dining hall for dinner. Dedue and I cooked up something for you to eat, and Mercedes and Annette made you some dessert. We won't keep you, but we wanted to make sure you had something to eat after the day you had."

"We were all quite worried, Professor. We tried to stay away, but... We simply couldn't help ourselves. When Ashe said he would be cooking you dinner, we had to pitch in, as well." Mercedes explained as she politely stepped around Warin and put her offering of sweets on the table beside Ashe and Dedue's cooking. Annette followed suit with a beaming smile, and the four little chefs all looked at their professor with watchful, relieved eyes as she continued on sweetly, "We may have overdid things in our eagerness... But if your brother is here, then there's no harm in it. He is more than welcome to help himself. Oh, and please don't worry, we don't intend to stay and disturb you. We're merely here to deliver our cooking."

"Thank you, Mercedes. And you too, Ashe, Dedue, and Annette. That's very thoughtful of you." Raine fought down her smile as she glanced at her brother from the corner of her eye and noticed the look of bemusement on his face as he was effectively shouldered into the corner of her room and completely ignored. Not one of her students feared him or had allowed him to be an impediment in their desire to see her, and she couldn't imagine anyone else getting past him in such a manner with such audacity. It was enough to make her laugh, but she wisely decided against it as she thanked her students in turn and remarked, "Knowing you four, I imagine it'll all be delicious. Are you all okay? As much as I appreciate the efforts, you were fighting just as hard as I was. You do need to rest, yourselves, you know."

"We are aware." Dedue answered as a look of abashment crossed the faces of his three comrades, but his eyes were steady, and so was his voice. He crossed his arms politely behind his back, and his face took on a more stern edge, which was rather apparent on his already so stoic face. He nodded deeply to his professor before he began in a voice that was almost a mirror to his expression, "However, Professor... We, and I am taking this moment to speak for the entirety of the Blue Lions at the moment... We have become aware of our failings as your students as of late, and this awareness is the reason for our current actions."

Annette smiled up at Dedue, and took a firm hold on his arm in two of her own before she likewise turned to her surprised professor herself. The look in her eyes, surprise and confusion and uncertainly, only made her all the more confident that what they were doing, what they were saying, was the right thing to do. Their professor may have changed in appearance, but as Dimitri had assured them, she was still very much the same, and that was clear to her now, and made her all the more bold as she picked up where the young man of Duscur had left off, "These past few moons, Professor... They've been very difficult for all of us, but for you, it's been even worse. And you did so much for us, even when it had to be hard for you. We want to repay you for that, and this is our way of trying to do so. Everybody else has the same idea, but they're all going to do it in their own way, too, so it's more personal. But, basically... This is our apology, Professor. Our apology, and our thanks."

"And don't say that you don't need it, Professor." Ashe broke in before Raine possibly could, as if he sensed the argument about to ensue, and he was glad to watch her open her mouth and then close it abruptly at his urging. He caught a look at her elder brother from the corner of his eye, and he was leaning on the wall and watching them, and if his sharp eyes weren't deceiving him... The mercenary was smiling at them all, even if the expression was so faint that it may as well not be there. He turned his attention back to Raine however, and continued on firmly, "Ever since you came here, against your own will no less, you gave your all to us as a professor. Your attention, your care, and your protection. Whenever we hurt, you hurt along with us. And even when we were difficult, you were always patient and kind with our troubles, or requests. You even took on students you had no obligation to look after, and I know for a fact that Petra and Raphael are so grateful they're learning from you. So now, when you're the one struggling... We want to show you that we appreciate you, and can help you, just as much as you can help us. We might be your students, but we care about you as much as you care about us."

"Indeed. Professor, we care so much for you, and we are truly grateful... as well as ashamed for our past behaviour. We were content to lean on you when we needed it, and did nothing out of fear when you needed us. That will not happen again." Mercedes promised, and her dark eyes took on that stubborn little glint Raine was intimately familiar with. She was a smart, strong young woman even if she was a healer first and a fighter second, but she proved that getting her hands dirty and fighting an opponent as stubborn as she could be was not a daunting task as she continued on, "So, please, for the next little while, do not argue as we all do what only we can do for you as your students. I am sure everyone will have their own ideas, and some may be pragmatic and others outlandish... But we have come to an agreement, as the Blue Lions, that we owe you a large debt, and we wish to show you our gratitude for that. Of course, this does come with stipulations..."

Raine laughed aloud, unable to help it as she watched her students lecture her with all the authority of a professor or a knight, and the sheer audacity in every one of them was just too funny for her to ignore. She raised a hand and waved it, pinching the bridge of her nose with the other in a desperate attempt to keep herself from laughing too hard or loudly. They had made their decisions, and nothing she said or did would ever be able to sway them. They had become as hard-headed and proud as she was, all in their own ways, and she had no choice but to respect them. Her voice still had a trace of a chuckle in it as she spoke for the first time since their intrusion and speech, "I assume that stipulation is that you want me to rest for a little while for once, and not go straight back into work, yes? All right, all right. I'll give that to you, for one week. I can't neglect my duties, but I will respect your... orders. After everything you've done for me, how can I not? You'll have what you want. All of you. But at least allow me to thank you for what you're doing. I'm very grateful you care so much, and that you're so stubborn about doing this. Lately, things _have_ been difficult. But all of you have helped, and are still helping me through it. So, thank you."

"Professor!" Annette squealed in excitement, and she launched herself forward to wrap her thin arms about her surprised teacher in the best bear-hug her small form could manage. Mercedes was quick to follow, laughing as she went at the expression on their professor's face, and after only a moment, Ashe likewise joined in. Dedue stood where he was, but his expression had softened intensely as he watched his three friends embracing their teacher so happily, and his smile broadened as Raine took a moment after her surprise to awkwardly wrap her arms around the three of them in return. "We love you _so_ much, Professor. And we're so glad we're helping. We'll do more, we promise. We might be your first class, but I promise we'll be your favourite class before we graduate!"

"I don't doubt it, Annette..." Raine laughed awkwardly as the trio pulled away and then returned to stand with Dedue, and she rubbed at her nose as she felt a flush beginning to climb its way high into her neck. She wondered if she was to expect similar displays of affection from her other students when it came their turn to provide her with their "gifts", and she wasn't entirely sure if she was ready for such a thing yet. It didn't feel wrong, per say, especially when she felt their joy and their warmth and protectiveness, but it still was very new. She looked at all of them, lined up and facing them with smiles on their faces, and the weight of her earlier day, of the earlier moons, slipped from her shoulders almost like a snakeskin.

'Love, huh...?' Raine smiled in return at each and every one of them, and wondered at Annette's choice of words. It felt right. Surprisingly intimate, perhaps a bit out of her professional boundaries, but still... right. It made her wonder of the others, of what schemes they were planning, and she was mildly surprised that she didn't mind it one bit. This was their show of love, just as protectiveness was Warin's, and it warmed her body all over with pleasant happiness as the realization that whatever her own worries might be... The Blue Lions would always be there for her in some fashion if she ever was in need.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome. Please, enjoy the meal, Professor, and you too, Sir Warin. We'll see you again in class sometime soon, Professor." Mercedes carefully steered her comrades out, offering the two older soldiers a happy wave as she did so. The others all followed suit in their own ways, Annette with a broad, beaming smile, Ashe winking a brilliant emerald-coloured eye, and Dedue with a deep and respectful nod before they filed out and closed the door behind them. As quick and turbulent as a whirlwind, and the moment the door clicked shut, Raine burst into another fit of laughter without consent at the welcome, if completely unexpected turnabout from the morose conversation she and her brother had been having just a few minutes ago.

To her surprise, Warin was likewise chuckling as he checked the door to lock it again behind her exiting students, and he gathered the plates and offered one to her before taking the other for himself. He perched himself on the corner of her desk, picking up a fork as he examined the rather elegant-looking casserole that Ashe and Dedue had cooked, and he remarked as Raine dug in without any sort of preamble, "You've got a hell of a class behind you, Raine. Odd ones, the lot of them, but I can't say I'm not surprised by their loyalty to you. It's good to see them working so hard to take care of you."

Raine swallowed the bite she had taken of the food, as scrumptious as she had expected from the archer and brawler, and she set her plate down beside her as she offered him a bittersweet smile. She hadn't expected their care, nor their little speeches, but she appreciated it all the same even if she didn't think it was entirely necessary. They were all kind in their own ways, even the most taciturn of them had showed her that, and to call herself proud of them seemed like a disservice. They had all learned and grown much in the past year, and she was eager to see that continue even if it meant letting them go as her students. She shook her head, musing as she poked idly at the delicious meal that had been delivered to her room, "I don't really need it, but when they set their minds to something, it's almost impossible to talk them out of it... It's strange. I was so against the idea of teaching at the beginning, when this was all forced on me... but now? I enjoy it. I take pride in it. In _them_. I almost don't want to stop."

"That makes enough sense. You've been by them every day for the past year. Watching them grow, helping them learn, and becoming close to them. They're practically family, in that regard." Warin replied, and he took another bite of the second portion that Ashe had invited him to eat. It was delicious fare, with rich cheese and meat and vegetable filling, and he wondered errantly if Dedue had cared for the vegetables himself in the greenhouse. The young man of Duscur was a frequent visitor there, and the two had learned much of caring for the garden together during their weekend visits. "Perhaps we might end up in the Kingdom, when this is all over. You'd no doubt find safety there, even from the Church of Seiros."

"And put them in the crossfire? Absolutely not. Even when they graduate, and take on noble titles of their own, that doesn't mean they've stopped being my students. I promised to protect them. Graduation doesn't invalidate that promise. I won't make them choose between me or the church, should our flight ever come to that." Raine's response was cool and harsh, and she gave him a scathing glare as she took another bite of her food. She didn't see her brother hide his smile behind her fork, but she had to wonder what in the world gave him such wild ideas. While she didn't doubt they would offer her protection should she ever come seeking it, she had no intention of ever asking. Faerghus had problems of its own to attend to, and did not need to be fighting the church, a powerful ally, just for her sake. "Besides, it'd be far too dangerous, personally and politically, for them to make enemies of the Church of Seiros. I doubt Dimitri would ever consider such a thing."

Warin shook his head, but decided it was wiser not to continue to argue as his sister continued to eat in cool silence. He watched her closely, both wondering and amused at her clear-cut reasoning, and her complete blindness. He had seen Dimitri leaving the forest and cradling his sister in his arms as if she was the most valuable and fragile thing in the entirety of the world while she slept on, oblivious, and he had little to no doubts that the prince of Faerghus would wage war for her if push ever came to shove. It was true that his eyes had been troubled, and his expression had been regretful as if he was in the midst of realizing his emotions and the way they tore at his obligations and desires, but that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The young man was in love with his professor, even if he didn't know the words needed to describe it, and his instincts would always outweigh his thoughts every single time.

'As for her... I suppose she needs another push or two to realize the same thing. She's only just coming to terms with her class as a whole... I can't say it still doesn't trouble me, but... I guess I'm more like Father than I thought. I can't be unhappy about it.' Warin bit the inside of his cheek to keep his smile in check as he and Raine devoured their delivered meal in silence. Ashe and Dedue had outdone themselves with their cooking, and he made a mental note to thank and compliment the both of them when he next had the time. He hoped spending the moon close to Raine would give him a better chance to really get to know her students as she did, but he did doubt he would learn much of importance in the grand scheme of things. He knew all he needed to know already. They loved her, and she loved them. It was not a question he needed to consider. She would be in good hands, always, so long as one Blue Lion was there to continue to return the protection she had afforded them.

"This is good..." Raine murmured to herself as she licked sauce from her thumb, and her smile was gentle as she glanced to the two brightly wrapped packages of sweets that still adorned her desk from Mercedes and Annette. She doubted that the quality of the dessert would be anything less than her supper, and it made her stomach clench with that all-too familiar feeling of happiness and longing. Perhaps her brother had been right, in calling them family. She certainly felt that sort of affection towards her students. Was it really so wrong of her to do so?

"It _is_ pretty good." Warin agreed, and he felt himself relaxing for what had to be the first time since their father had passed. With a concrete plan now forged, and in the quiet of his sister's chambers, he felt at ease. The noose was still there, still tightening, but it no longer made him anxious. He was with his sister, and he knew her students would be with her, too. She was protected from all angles. At the very least, in the case of the worst, she would be okay. It was all he needed to know. And he allowed a smile of his own to curl at his lips as he took another bite in peaceful quiet. The moment wouldn't last. They never did. But for the time being... He wanted to enjoy it, and burn it deep into his memory for when he needed to recall these times the most.

**AN:**

**So ends the trilogy, and up comes another little collection before the timeskip! The next one will be pretty simple, detailing the fallout of the ceremony as well as the upcoming war and the ensuing tensions that will be filling the monastery. I don't intend to go into the battle itself, (most likely, that's still in the air since I really suck at writing battle scenes), but once that series is done, then all work from here on out will take place in a single multi-chaptered fic that only will focus on Azure Moon! Mind, I do intend to take elements from the other three routes into account, though how and when they will apply will be my little secret for awhile.**

**I've been asked about recruitment from the Black Eagles (beyond Petra, at the very least), and that will be addressed in the following collection. However, it will be different than the standard in-game recruitment, and it isn't about to actually happen wholesale. (I don't intend to write a happy ending override for the whole of Three Houses.) Edelgard's behaviour in Azure Moon differs vastly from Crimson Flower, and the characters of the Black Eagle house are aware of this, and so they do need to be addressed in some form... How though, is still something I'm working on. Especially as Raine's interactions have mostly been with the Blue Lions. Still, I imagine there's plenty of hesitation, doubt and concern going about, so that will be written about!**

**As for everything else... Well, it'll happen as it happens. By the time this fic is posted, I'll be coming home from my trip to the US, and so I'll be pretty tired and likely a bit travel-sick. It always happens without fail. I do intend to keep writing, but it will take a little bit longer than usual as I adjust to being back home. Things in my personal life have kind of taken a wild turn, so I have to do some adult things that I won't be enjoying in the near future. Don't worry though, I'll have it all handled. I just apologize if it means my story-writing ends up slowing down!**

**As always, thank you for reading this far, and please drop me a review should you feel the need. I'm always happy and grateful for every little bit of a feedback! You guys have a good one, at least until we meet again in my next work! See ya!**

**Mood: Amused.**

**Listening To: "Walk Me Home" - P!nk**

**~ Sky**


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